Urge To Stop Dog Meat Trade

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Urge To Stop Dog Meat Trade

 

By Dr. Durga Datt Joshi

 

OUR ancestors domesticated dogs and cats as companions

and we break a bond of trust when we treat them worse

than livestock. Worldwide, more societies, including

Korea, are considering dogs and cats as good

companions.

 

Commitment

 

Asia Link, a coalition of Asian animal welfare and

conservation groups from 12 countries formed in 2000,

has presented a statement to the South Korean

government asking them to make a clear commitment

during the FIFA World Cup to enforce and improve their

legislation on animal protection. The present picture

of slaughtering dogs shows miserable conditions of dog

in Korea. Representatives from other groups in

countries such as Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Thailand,

Indonesia and Sri Lanka have also submitted the

statement to their respective Korean embassies in

their countries against Korean dog and cat meat trade.

 

Not only is dog meat eaten but also the industry is

now promoting dog meat products like cosmetics. Dogs

are bred in farms. At the markets, they are crammed

into cages so they can hardly stand properly. Some are

killed by electrocution. Others are hanged or beaten

to death. Cats are usually boiled, some alive, in

large pressure cookers to produce a tonic that

supposedly cures ailments.

 

Laws to prevent cruelty to dogs and cats in Korea are

weak. Even the existing laws are not well enforced.

During the last decade, only two perpetrators of

animal abuse were convicted and imposed small fines.

Asia Link has called for legislative and

policy-related changes to protect animal rights.

 

Indeed Asia Link calls for the improvement of Korean

laws with regards to provision of food, housing,

veterinary care, shelter, maltreatment, transportation

and slaughter of animals, enhanced law enforcement,

higher penalties for animal cruelty, formation of a

National Animal Welfare committee, with

representatives from leading Korean animal welfare

groups such as Voice for Animals, to advise the

government.

 

The World Cup will finish at the end of June. But

there is no end in sight for the cruelty to dogs and

cats in Korea. We cannot use culture to justify

violence. It is people who make " culture " , so they can

change it.

 

Dog eating was popular once in Taiwan but in 2001, the

meat and fur of pets such as dogs and cats were banned

from being used for economic purposes. In the

Philippines, the slaughter of dogs for meat is

prohibited in Metro Manila.

 

Professor Changkil Park, Founder of the Seoul-based

voice for animals said, " Over the years, there has

been very strong support from the Western world to

stop the cruelty to Korea’s dogs and cats.

 

Asia Link is an independent initiative. This was

formed in 2000 to facilitate the sharing of

information and resources between Asian animal welfare

and conservation groups.

 

Currently 14 different organisations are associated

with Asia link.

 

Bangladesh Animal Welfare Organization (BAWO),

Bangladesh, Educational Group for the Protection of

Environment and Animals, China, Animal Conservation

for Life (KSBK), Indonesia.

 

Japan Wildlife Conservation Society (JWCS), Japan. All

Life In a Viable Environment (ALIVE), Japan. Voice for

animals, Korea.

 

National Zoonoses and Food Hygiene Research Centre,

Kathmandu, Nepal are some of such organisations.

 

In Korea the present demand of dog and cat meat has

worried the animal rights activists animal lovers have

left that time has come to ban of the slaughtering and

consumption of meat man’s best friend. In most

countries dogs and cats are reared as pets and the

people rarely thought of such animals being

slaughtered for their meat.

 

Compared to other Asian countries a little cruel

practices of animal slaughter prevail in Sri Lanka.

However, during the past few years there were several

media exposures on the consumption of dog and cat meat

in Sri Lanka too. According to Champa Fernando a Sri

Lanka animal welfare activist protests against such

practices are taking root in Sri Lanka. " As we are

aware that dog and cat meat is consumed in scattered

areas of Sri Lanka, it is very important especially in

the context of nipping in the bud such horrible

practices from getting established in our country "

 

In Nepal, dog population estimated is about 1.8

million. Dogs are worshipped once in a year as God.

Dog slaughtering and meat selling is completely

illegal.

 

This is the first time a large group of Asian

societies have come together to speak up against the

dog and cat meat issue in Korea.

 

" Over the years, there has been very strong support

from the Western world to stop the cruelty to Korea’s

dogs and cats. But this latest collective action by

the Asian community clearly shows that there is a

world-wide demand to take immediate and enduring steps

to stop the extreme cruelty to the animals here "

Professor Changkil Park.

 

Demand

 

Animal welfare groups from across Asia were cited as

issuing a statement protesting the practice of eating

dog meat in South Korea as the country hosts the World

Cup soccer finals. " We ask our Korean brothers help

stop this practice, " said the statement signed by 14

animal welfare groups from Bangladesh, China,

Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, the

Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and

Thailand. They called for a permanent ban on the

killing of dogs and cats for human consumption and for

changes in South Korean law to ensure such animals

receive adequate food, housing, veterinary care,

transportation and treatment. The 14 groups are

members of Asia Link, a coalition of Asian animal

welfare and conservation groups from 12 countries.

Asian animal rights activists urge South Korea to stop

dog meat trade during World Cup.

 

all kinds of public and is closely linked to the kind

of work that we do. It works well by word of mouth’,

Agnes Chaigneau concludes.

 

 

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Friends of dogs

http://www.friendsofdogs.net

Dogs brighten our life with their gift to love and bond. It is our turn to help

our dogs. Please help organisations who are fighting to get dogs out of food

chain.

 

http://www.koreananimals.org/

http://www.2kat.net/sirius/index.html

http://www.animalsasia.org/ http://www.linisgobyerno.org/special_projects.htm

 

 

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