Pups Rescued From Dog Meat Farm Need Adoption
Transcript
Voice of KELLY O’MEARA, DIRECTOR-COMPANION ANIMALS AND
ENGAGEMENT, HUMANE SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL:
Korea is the only Asian country that actually farms dogs to
supply the dog meat trade. It’s
something that developed over the course of several decades. It has not been a culture that has existed
for centuries as it has in some other Asian countries.
These animals live in cages that are often
over-crowded—three to five of them in one very small cage. They receive very little care, very little
food and they simply exist on the edge of survival everyday to then just be
slaughtered one day.
KELLY O’MEARA, DIRECTOR-COMPANION ANIMALS AND ENGAGEMENT,
HUMANE SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL:
These 23 dogs are acting as ambassadors for a campaign we’ve
now launched in Korea to try and reduce the overall dog meat consumption in the
country. We learned of this farmer that
had had some ideas already of closing.
So we have them sign a pledge that states that they will stay out of the
industry for a lifelong commitment, as well as help them to transition into a
humane trade that is along the lines of raising crops.
It’s not so much the issue of dog meat and the consumption
dog. It’s how these animals are raised
and ultimately slaughtered. It’s the
cruelty behind the trade.
Why bring dogs here from Korea? Because it spikes adoption locally. Their compelling story brings light to the
homeless dog situation, the homeless cat situation that exists throughout this
country.
MEGAN WEBB, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ANIMAL WELFARE LEAGUE OF
ALEXANDRIA:
Our goal was to take them into one shelter first, quarantine
them for a period of five or six days.
But there’s a total of six shelters , including ours, that are taking
these dogs.
We have to remember that they’re coming from a life where
they lived in a cage for their entire life, or on a chain. This is going to be a lot of stimulation for
them.
If they’re ready to go, they’ll get adopted probably fairly
quickly—in a week or two. Otherwise, we
may have to put them into foster homes to get them used to living in a home
environment and then make them available.
KELLY O’MEARA, DIRECTOR-COMPANION ANIMALS AND ENGAGEMENT,
HUMANE SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL:
These animals lived such miserable lives for the period of
time they do only to them be hauled off and slaughtered in some horrific
way. We’re trying to raise the public
awareness both in Korea and internationally of the cruelty that exists behind
this trade. And make people understand
so that possibly there could be a reduction in the trade of dog meat.