We’d like to shake this man’s hand.
Meet Wang Yan, a former Chinese Millionaire who has spent his fortune saving dogs from being slaughtered. A true a animal rescue hero.
According to the Shanghaiist, it all started back in 2012 when Yan’s dog went missing. After looking everywhere without any success, he was given access to his town’s slaughterhouse.
It was when he entered the slaughterhouse that his whole life changed. Yan was so devastated by what he saw, he spent all of his money to buy the slaughterhouse and transformed it into a massive shelter. It is said that since opening the shelter, Yan has saved over 2,000 dogs. “Right now, we only have 215 dogs,” Yan said. “The most we’ve had at one time is 1,000, many of them have been adopted.”
Needless to say, Yan is not the wealthy man (monetarily) that he once was, but it’s clear he found his calling. He doesn’t even accept money from those willing to help. “I only hope that kind-hearted people will be able to donate a few supplies to help build a home from these 200 dogs.”
Dog slaughtering is still very common in certain areas of the world. Just this past year, there was a huge uproar trying to stop the country’s annual dog meat festival. Also this year, a district in Shandong province issued a pet ban to kill all dogs — even those with owners. So what Yan is doing is truly fighting for a cause that is not necessarily highly regarded where he is from… and we thank him for that.
You can read more about this incredible story here.