Stop the Dog Meat Trade in Asia: You Can Help!
While Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Philippines have already banned the custom of eating dog meat, China remains the largest dog-eating country in the world, with its practice continuing to thrive. Some estimate that approximately 10 million dogs are killed annually in China, brutally mistreated, then slaughtered, since dog farmers say "torture equals taste".
Dogs stacked in cages
The deplorable conditions, such as a single truck loaded with up to 2,000 canines arriving at the wholesale Hua Wild Animal Market in Guangzhou, spending three days and nights crushed together in tiny cages without food or water. have been witnessed by field investigators from Animals Asia. These dogs are then brutally unloaded and thrown into a pen by a man using a metal tong. These starving and thirsty frightened dogs then fight amongst themselves, only adding to their suffering. All this is done in order to provide their meat to patrons of upscale restaurants in Guangzhou.
Additionally canine diseases such as the Parvo virus, Leptospirosis, and Canine Distemper rampantly spread between these caged dogs whose immune systems have already been compromised from their stress. Sick dogs and cats which have been captured are simply flung out of these cages and are often discovered lying injured or dead beside the cages.
What is more disturbing is that in some Chinese provinces, the government promotes the dog meat trade, so the process is now becoming more industrialized. Dog farming videos and books about dog farming are now popular items on the shelves of the livestock sections in bookstores. These books advocate horrific slaughter methods in the deluded belief that dogs that suffer the most will "taste better".
Imported placid large-breed dogs such as the Saint Bernard are cross bred with local Chinese mixed breeds, are now being bred on huge dog farms destined for slaughter at 4 months of age. As the demand for dog meat increases, some supermarkets are now even carrying canned and vacuum packed dog meat for sale.
Group of chained dogs. Photo via www.all-creatures.org
But it gets worse! According to investigations, it is not only dog meat that is being sold. Apparently the fur from these slaughtered dogs also have entered both the local and international markets and are being used for "trim" on stylish clothing, and also fashioned into earrings, hair accessories and other trinkets.
While Animals Asia is aware of the rhetoric concerning the belief that dogs that are raised and slaughtered humanely for meat is no different than the killing of chickens, pigs or cattle for food, they strongly believe that the practice, even if performed mercifully, would "undermine the tireless and effective work of those Asian countries that have recently outlawed the practice." Since dogs are companion animals they fully believe that these animals should not be part of the food chain.
On a more optimistic note, Animals Asia's recent survey on China's largest internet portal, Sina.com, with over 5,000 responses, clearly demonstrated that many Chinese are strongly against the idea of eating our "best friends". Animals Asia advocates more education about dogs accompanies with a concomitant open discussion about how valuable these remarkable animals are as partners, as one of the most viable methods to end the despicable dog meat trade.
You can help by signing the petition at Care2 by visiting http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/980306975
Share your thoughts about this article by leaving a comment.
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Comments (0)
Diana February 1, 2010 10:16 AM
FlagI don't wear fur. Never have. I would never choose to eat the meat of dogs, cats, or horses. But I think that placing our sensibilities and moral constraints on a foreign nation (which doesn't care about their people, let alone their animals) is spitting into the wind. We don't eat dogs or cats or horses because we can choose not to. We aren't going hungry. We don't eat guinea pigs, either, but they are still a primary source of protein in some South Amiercan countries.
ReplyDon't get me wrong. I wish no country allowed the raising of dogs, cats, or horses as food sources. But right now I'd be satisfied if the animals were treated humanely during their lifetimes. That's the first standard I'd aspire to.
Vicki February 1, 2010 10:26 AM
FlagAlthough I find this deplorable, I just can't understand why every human doesn't. There is enough food without killing our domestic animals, and if there isn't in these countries, there has to be another source of food. I know I have never experienced the lack of food, I think that evenif I had, I would find another way for nourishment.
Replyjmuhj February 1, 2010 11:42 AM
FlagWhile I personally don't care for dogs at all, I know that cats, whom I love dearly, also are involved in this unspeakable industry, and I have opposed it in the form of letters and petitions since becoming educated about it. And even though I don't care for dogs, I don't condone cruelty or abuse of any living being, which happens in the u.s. as well as everywhere else in the world. My most fervent prayers are that the human race evolves, sooner rather than later, and collectively realizes that cruelty and abuse are morally wrong and not to be tolerated anywhere they occur.
ReplyCindy February 1, 2010 1:28 PM
FlagI'm with you Diana - some countries eat animals we consider domestic pets - and revere the animals we kill for food (cows) - and you are probably not going to change that because we have never been successful in putting our values on another people. I don't particularly like the way the animals are held - displayed and killed - but it's not our culture - so I don't see how we have the right to change it.
ReplyJoanne February 2, 2010 6:48 AM
Flagcannot even read about this - but I'll sign anything to stop it!
Replymin February 2, 2010 7:56 AM
FlagThank you for the strength and courage to write the article, and to comment. I continue believing that one by one collectively we have the power to change things and flourish with compassion. Alas--to know what really is compassion, how to be compassionate. I keep trying to learn more to do better. Again, thank you.
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