The animal protection group Humane Society International saved about 200 dogs at a dog farm in Hongseong, 150 kilometres south of Seoul |
A rescue
operation to save hundreds of dogs in South Korea from the slaughterhouse began
Wednesday, as pressure mounts on the country to end its custom of killing
canines for meat.
About one
million dogs are eaten a year in South Korea, often as a summertime delicacy,
with the greasy red meat -- invariably boiled for tenderness -- believed to
increase energy.
But the
tradition has earned criticism abroad and has declined as the nation
increasingly embraces the idea of dogs as pets instead of livestock, with
eating them now something of a taboo among young South Koreans.
The
two-week rescue operation by animal protection group Humane Society
International (HSI) will save about 200 canines at a dog farm in Hongseong
county, 150 kilometres south of Seoul.
The dogs
will be sent to Canada and the United States for rehoming
|
The dogs
will then be sent to Canada and the United States for rehoming.
"These
dogs are no different from any other dogs. Once they receive some tender loving
care that they deserve and that they need," Kelly O'Meara, an HSI
official, told AFP.
The farm
was the 14th complex shut down by the group since 2015.
The organisation
said it has rescued around 1,600 dogs during that time, with farmers given
support to move into other lines of work. One transformed his dog meat business
into a blueberry farm.
Lee
Sang-gu, the owner of the Hongseong farm, said he decided to change his
business because it was "not profitable anymore", noting even his
family members were against eating dog.
According to a survey in 2017, 70 percent of South Koreans do not eat dog, but far fewer -- about 40 percent -- believe the practice should be banned.
According
to a survey in 2017, 70 percent of South Koreans do not eat dog,
but far fewer
-- about 40 percent -- believe the practice should be banned
|
According to a survey in 2017, 70 percent of South Koreans do not eat dog, but far fewer -- about 40 percent -- believe the practice should be banned.
It also
found 65 percent support raising and slaughtering dogs under more humane
conditions.
The
country's largest canine slaughterhouse complex in Seongnam city, south of
Seoul, was dismantled in November. Activists who visited found electrocution
equipment and a pile of dead dogs abandoned on the floor.
There are
currently no laws on how to treat or slaughter canines for meat in South Korea.
While farmers have urged Seoul to include dogs under livestock welfare
regulations, animal rights groups oppose doing so, seeking complete abolition
instead.
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