Animal rights groups are preparing to rescue dozens of dogs from a barbaric 'festival' in China where pets are not only eaten but tortured first because raised adrenalin levels allegedly 'heighten a man's sexual prowess.'

Thousands of dogs are rounded up every year and sent to the 10-day Yulin Lychee and Dog Meat Festival in southern China. It is due to kick off on Wednesday.

Estimates are that 10,000 dogs are eaten – with lychees – each year.

'Nobody knows how horrific it is. I've been there,' Los Angeles animal advocate Bobi Leonard who has traveled to China multiple times told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview. 

'There are a lot of people there who are against it,' added Leonard, a skin-care expert who donates 20% of her profits to animal charities. 'They are advocates that really fight.'Eating dogs is common in China and some other parts of Asia and has been for hundreds of years, but owners who have adopted rescued dogs say what happens every year in Yulin is truly horrifying.

The dogs are tormented in the most unspeakable ways before being killed with the belief that the heightened adrenaline released due to the pain improves the quality of the meat, Sheena Gao a board member of the Animals Hope and Wellness Foundation, which has shelters in both China and Los Angeles, explained.

Festival goers also believe this 'improved' meat increases male sexual performance, wards off disease and provides good fortune. 

'The dogs are torched, clubbed, boiled alive, skinned alive. It's absolutely horrific,' said Gao, who along with composer Rayko spearheaded a June 11 fundraiser at the Rafi Lounge in Malibu hosted by the groups Yoga Stops Yulin and In Defense of Animals.

Thousands of dogs, both stray and pets, are snatched off the streets or stolen from families, and then crammed into tiny wire cages where they are then transported across China to Yulin in preparation for the festival, said Gao.