People Want to End the Dog Meat Trade So Much This Petition Got Nearly 1 Million Signatures

South Korea’s President Moon Jae-In is being urged to end the dog meat trade, which is still rife throughout the country. Animal charity Humane Society International (HSI) handed in a petition with almost one million signatures urging Jae-In’s government to advance a time-tabled plan of action to end the dog meat trade.

The petition was personally delivered by HSI, and their partner Kara, to the president’s private residence. As part of the campaign to raise awareness for the dog meat trade, HSI released images of dogs waiting for slaughter at the Gupo market in Busan. These poor dogs are kept in squalid, barren conditions, caged so that they can’t escape the electrocution that will end their lives.

Here is the team handing in the signatures. The submission of the petition was made to coincide with the end of Bok Nal, a festival dedicated to the hottest days of summer, when the highest numbers of dogs are killed and consumed because of the myth that the meat “combats the heat.” 

There were many volunteers on hand to deliver the message that the dog meat trade should no longer be tolerated in South Korea.

President Moon Jae-In is being urged to phase out the estimated 17,000 dog meat farms across the country, where an estimated 2.5 million dogs like these are held for human consumption.

HSI’s dog meat campaign manager Nara Kim said: “Our petition of nearly 1 million signatures reflects the desire of compassionate citizens here in South Korea and around the world to see an end to the brutally cruel dog meat industry.” 

Some of the dogs found in these meat farms have clearly been snatched from homes, still wearing collars and other things pointing to a much kinder life. These poor dogs huddle together terrified, probably wondering which one of them is going to be taken next. All breeds are taken by meat farmers, not just Jindo and Tosa breeds, which some claim are the only ones being sold.  

The dog meat industry in South Korea has been expanding over the past 40 years without any real control, and it is time to put an end to this cruel practice, especially when so many people oppose dogs being used for meat. 

The tide is definitely turning on these cruel practices, with some cities in South Korea already banning the sale of dog meat, citing reasons such as unhygienic practices and compassion for these companion animals that are a part of so many of our families. We are excited to see the next steps the South Korean government will take to ban the sale of dog meat once and for all!

Image Source: Humane Society International