Animal rescuers save 170 dogs from South Korean canine meat farm

Animal rescuers have saved more than 170 dogs destined for the dinner plate from a meat farm in South Korea.

According to the Humane Society International (HSI), the dog meat farm in Namyangju is one of an estimated 17,000 dog farms in South Korea breeding more than 2.5 million dogs a year for human consumption.

Rescuers from the charity saved the dogs from filthy and deprived conditions at the farm, where they live in rows of wire cages and no vet care until they would be killed by electrocution at the local market or slaughterhouse and made into a spicy soup called bosintang.

HSI said many of the poor pooches suffer with eye infections, skin disease and painful leg and paw sores from days of standing and sitting on thin wire message.

But the dogs have now been saved as part of the charity’s campaign to bring an end to brutal dog meat trade, with 13 fly to a UK shelter in the New Year after completing their quarantine and the rest headed for the United States and Canada.

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According to the charity a mixture of breeds were being bred for eating including greyhounds, spaniels and mastiffs, and the 13 destined for the UK include a golden retriever, beagle, and Korean jindo.

Rescuers were joined by The Only Way Is Essex’s Pete Wicks, who wanted to get involved after being moved by videos from previous HSI dog farm closures.

He said: “Seeing for myself the horror of a dog meat farm has been one of the most emotional experiences of my life.

“I love my dog Eric with all my heart, and I kept thinking how dreadful it would be for him to spend even one day in a place like that.

“Some of the dogs I met were terrified, and you can’t blame them because they’ve seen the cruel side of humanity, but I couldn’t believe how friendly most of them were despite everything they’ve been through. The way they wagged their tails just broke my heart.

“Despite going through hell, they still wanted to be our friends. That was so humbling.”

HSI’s UK Director Claire Bass was also present for the rescue and met Golden Retriever Henry for the first time, who she and her family are adopting.

She said: “The second I saw Henry, I fell in love with him and I knew he was our dog. It was very upsetting seeing him and the others in their filthy wire cages, and it’s freezing in South Korea right now so conditions are truly harsh.

“Despite all that, when I crawled into his cage and sat beside him, he pressed his head against mine and we just connected. I can’t wait for him to arrive in the UK, so we can help him put his ordeal behind him.

“But Henry is just one life saved amongst the 2.5 million lives lost each year. The Winter Olympics is now fast approaching, and the image of dogs languishing on farms or being butchered in markets even in the same region as the Games, is a very jarring reality.

“As a global media spotlight falls on South Korea, now is the time for the government to commit to phase out this awful trade.”

HSI has been working on the ground in South Korea for the past three years and has saved a total of 1,222 dogs so far from the country’s dog meat trade.

This is the tenth dog farm the charity has permanently closed, working in partnership with dog meat farmers keen to leave the trade.