Bardot barks at Korea for eating dog meat

[Guest guest]

Thu 29 Nov 2001

 

Bardot barks at Korea for eating dog meat

 

AFP - French actress and animal welfare activist

Brigitte Bardot urged South Koreans to stop eating dog

meat, saying it hurts the image of the country as a

co-host of the World Cup finals.

 

" Even if eating dog meat is part of a country's dining

culture, that habit must be stopped as we don't live

in a Middle Ages society, " Bardot said in a telephone

interview with South Korea's MBC radio network.

 

" Eating dog meat seriously hurts the image of your

country, " she said, adding that dogs were " friends not

animals. "

 

She said it was " horrible " that Koreans continued to

eat dog meat in the 21st century.

 

" And I know dogs are cruelly butchered, " she said in

French, translated into Korean.

 

Bardot said she was sending pictures and other

evidence of the practice to members of the French

World Cup football squad and other World Cup finalists

" ...so that they know what's going on in Korea and the

Korean government may feel pressure and put an end to

consuming dogs. "

 

But Bardot stressed she was not leading a boycott of

the World Cup.

 

Koreans' fondness for dog meat has been put under the

spotlight again following a call from football's world

governing body FIFA for the authorities to crack down

on cruel slaughtering practices.

 

Although the Seoul government has already banned the

production and sale of dog meat for human consumption,

the practice remains widespread and government efforts

have instead been concentrated on encouraging more

humane slaughtering.

 

FIFA President Blatter has sent a letter to South

Korea's soccer supremo Chung Mong-Joon calling for

" immediate and decisive measures " against cruelty in

slaughtering dogs in South Korea ahead of next year's

World Cup finals.

 

But Chung said it should not be FIFA's concern.

 

" I don't understand why FIFA has raised the issue

itself, " Chung, FIFA's vice-president and co-president

of the Korean World Cup Organising Committee, told

South Korean journalists.

 

He stressed the issue was taken up when Seoul hosted

the 1988 Olympic Games, but the International Olympic

Committee did not take any action.

 

Ahead of the 1988 Games, South Korea forced many dog

meat eateries to shut down or shift to other dishes.

 

©AAP 2001

 

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/entertainment/story_22679.asp

 

.au - Shopping

- Get organised for Christmas early this year!