SEOUL, South Korea.
The animal faces of dog-and-cat-eating, met at the Moran market just outside the capital city of Seoul, South Korea, are as pained and haunting as any animal defender might imagine. The silence of the dehydrated and despairing animals is an unexpected part of the shock. Most of the dogs can bark. They just rarely do. Only scattered pure-bred former pets and a puppy trying to gnaw the dangling end of a nylon cord show hope that anything could be different. What causes particular alarm abroad and among animal rights activists in South Korea is the illegal way some dogs are killed to make the meat more tender - by beating, burning or hanging these poor creatures.
Stunned dogs exhibit bleeding wounds from apparent hammer blows to the forehead. The squalor of the Moran market degenerates in four short blocks from approximately the conditions of an abusive old-fashioned dog pound, at the end of the market closest to the major cross-street, to the worst depths of negligence displayed by certifiably deranged animal hoarders.
We as a global community can't and won't allow this unspeakable and mass slaying of our cherished companions to be tortured with such horrific pain and suffering.
Dogs that have been domesticated to be our companions. There is a sacred bond between humans and their dogs. For people who are sensitive to this issue, eating dogs is like eating another human being. As the West and East namely Korea increasingly interact, these cultural differences in how to treat animals will create distrust and alienation. Surely, the Korea people can find substitute sources of food instead of eating, and torturing, man's best friends. We are appalled, offended and shed tears each day for these animals' pain and suffering. Is that what friends do to other friends? Show no remorse but continue to offend us with killing our beloved animal friends. To the Korea govt. and the ambassador Mr. Lee Tae-Sik together with KAPES animal protection agency we begged that compassion will prevail to stop this atrocity that exists in your country. We prayed and earnestly hope that you will do your utmost best to ban this vile trade of our precious animals.
PLEASE CONTACT THE ANIMAL WELFARE IN KOREA iaka@koreananimals.org
AND WRITE LETTERS TO THE AMBASSADOR OF KOREA MR.LEE TAE-SIK WITH YOUR PROTEST AND PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT IN THIS PETITION TO CREATE AN IMPACT.
