Rescue of 200 dogs destined for slaughterhouse in South Korea begins
Telegraph, 12 Mar 2023
A cacophony of howls and barks shattered the morning calm in South Korea’s rural Chungcheong province on Wednesday as dozens of dogs paced or cowered in the corner of metal cages, alarmed at the sudden intrusion of so many strangers on their farm.
For years, the 200 mainly Jindos and Tosas confined behind iron bars in rows of tiny, filthy hutches, had only interacted with humans who intended to do them harm.
Bred for human consumption, they led a miserable existence, crouching in their own excrement, surviving on restaurant scraps and gnawing on dirty wire in frustration as they awaited death by electrocution or hanging.
But last week, their fortunes suddenly shifted as a team of experts from animal protection group Humane Society International (HSI) arrived to rescue the dogs and transport them for rehabilitation and adoption in the United States.
The rescue, the 18th carried out in South Korea by HSI, and with the full blessing of the farmer Mr Yang, is part of an ongoing campaign to help Asia’s fourth largest economy phase out a dog meat industry that is no longer considered acceptable by the vast majority of the population.
Modern Koreans are a nation of dog lovers, coddling their pets with accessories and tailor-made coats to keep warm in the bitter winters. In 2019 the South Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs found that nearly 5 million households owned a pet dog.
They include President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has four dogs and three cats. During his election campaign last year, he voiced opposition to eating and trading dog meat but said a legal ban to the centuries-old practice would require a social consensus.
However, despite polling that shows well over 80% of the population has never consumed dog meat, and close to 60% support an outright legislative ban on the trade, successive governments have struggled to bring an end to an industry that still holds an estimated one million dogs imprisoned on farms.
In 2021, the previous administration announced it would set up a task force to consider a national ban on the eating of dog meat, which would bring Korea into line with the wider region, where Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore already have bans in place.
The country’s Animal Protection Law aims to prevent the cruel slaughter of dogs and cats but not dog consumption itself.
The 21-member task force of officials, animal rights and industry experts has so far failed to issue any public recommendations. The Telegraph reached out to the agriculture ministry for comment.
Mr Yang, 73, said he had long wanted to close down his farm of 30 years but lacked the know-how until he heard of HSI.
Like many dog farm owners of his generation, he lacked a good education and drifted into the industry as a way to make ends meet, but selling dogs to traders who slaughtered them and sold their meat to restaurants had never been lucrative.
He made a modest living, earning between £3.80 and £6.40 for 600g of meat - a fluctuating market price he said had barely shifted since the 1980s - and started the job at a time when there was a strongly held misperception that consuming dog meat helped to build stamina.
“There is no future for this dog meat industry,” he said, citing pressure from animal rights groups and the general social stigma now attached to the practice. “I feel good knowing that the dogs from my farm are going to a good environment in the US, where they will meet new families and be loved,” he said.
With the help of HSI, Mr Yang will join a growing group of former dog farmers transitioning to growing cabbages and other crops instead.
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#Dogs #Rescue #AnimalRights
For years, the 200 mainly Jindos and Tosas confined behind iron bars in rows of tiny, filthy hutches, had only interacted with humans who intended to do them harm.
Bred for human consumption, they led a miserable existence, crouching in their own excrement, surviving on restaurant scraps and gnawing on dirty wire in frustration as they awaited death by electrocution or hanging.
But last week, their fortunes suddenly shifted as a team of experts from animal protection group Humane Society International (HSI) arrived to rescue the dogs and transport them for rehabilitation and adoption in the United States.
The rescue, the 18th carried out in South Korea by HSI, and with the full blessing of the farmer Mr Yang, is part of an ongoing campaign to help Asia’s fourth largest economy phase out a dog meat industry that is no longer considered acceptable by the vast majority of the population.
Modern Koreans are a nation of dog lovers, coddling their pets with accessories and tailor-made coats to keep warm in the bitter winters. In 2019 the South Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs found that nearly 5 million households owned a pet dog.
They include President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has four dogs and three cats. During his election campaign last year, he voiced opposition to eating and trading dog meat but said a legal ban to the centuries-old practice would require a social consensus.
However, despite polling that shows well over 80% of the population has never consumed dog meat, and close to 60% support an outright legislative ban on the trade, successive governments have struggled to bring an end to an industry that still holds an estimated one million dogs imprisoned on farms.
In 2021, the previous administration announced it would set up a task force to consider a national ban on the eating of dog meat, which would bring Korea into line with the wider region, where Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore already have bans in place.
The country’s Animal Protection Law aims to prevent the cruel slaughter of dogs and cats but not dog consumption itself.
The 21-member task force of officials, animal rights and industry experts has so far failed to issue any public recommendations. The Telegraph reached out to the agriculture ministry for comment.
Mr Yang, 73, said he had long wanted to close down his farm of 30 years but lacked the know-how until he heard of HSI.
Like many dog farm owners of his generation, he lacked a good education and drifted into the industry as a way to make ends meet, but selling dogs to traders who slaughtered them and sold their meat to restaurants had never been lucrative.
He made a modest living, earning between £3.80 and £6.40 for 600g of meat - a fluctuating market price he said had barely shifted since the 1980s - and started the job at a time when there was a strongly held misperception that consuming dog meat helped to build stamina.
“There is no future for this dog meat industry,” he said, citing pressure from animal rights groups and the general social stigma now attached to the practice. “I feel good knowing that the dogs from my farm are going to a good environment in the US, where they will meet new families and be loved,” he said.
With the help of HSI, Mr Yang will join a growing group of former dog farmers transitioning to growing cabbages and other crops instead.
Subscribe to The Telegraph with our special offer: just £1 for 3 months. Start your free trial now:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/customer/subscribe/digitalsub/3for1/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_pvid_conversion-subscription_editorial-iniative_03-22_EGW-13_organic_youtube
Get the latest headlines: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/
Telegraph.co.uk and YouTube.com/TelegraphTV are websites of The Telegraph, the UK's best-selling quality daily newspaper providing news and analysis on UK and world events, business, sport, lifestyle and culture.
#Dogs #Rescue #AnimalRights
