Activists rescued nearly 1,000 dogs and cats from a truck headed to local slaughterhouses in southern China’s Guangdong Province on June 20.

This footage shows the animals being removed from the truck where they are held captive in cages.

According to the Humane Society International (HSI), which distributed this footage, more than 100 activists participated in the rescue operation and intercepted the truck, which set out from northern Gansu province and traveled roughly 1,210 miles to the southern city of Guangzhou. HSI said the truck driver could not produce health certificates, which are required by Chinese animal transport regulations, for the animals.

The rescue took place one day before the annual Lychee and Dog Meat festival, which is held in Yulin in China’s southwest Guangxi province.

“The rescue provides the world with a timely reminder that the cruel dog and cat meat trade is not restricted to the Yulin festival but is a year-round and nationwide problem. While the dogs and cats were not headed to Yulin, they are an example of the estimated 10-20 million dogs and four million cats killed annually for human consumption across China,” said the animal rights group. Credit: LJQ/Humane Society International via Storyful