Kneeling next to a dog in a cage, a member of the China National Pole Dancing Team recreates the image of a captured dog in Tianjin municipality, 23 June 2015.[Photo/IC]

This collection of photos created by members of the China National Pole Dancing Team to protest animal cruelty has made waves on the web. In the wake of the controversial dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, members from the national team joined forces with dancers from POLE11 to carry out the project. Posing as stray dogs that are caged, torched and tied up, the activists hope to raise public awareness about animal protection in an effort to end cruelty against dogs. Despite international protest and growing local opposition against the barbaric practices behind the annual dog meat festival, large crowds of vendors and consumers were seen purchasing, eating and butchering dogs in the streets of Yulin on Sunday and Monday.