More than 40 dogs, together with a litter of 10-day-old puppies, have been let loose from a slaughterhouse in Vietnam on Friday after its proprietor give up the canine meat commerce.
An estimated 5 million canines are killed for meat yearly in Vietnam – the second highest on the earth behind China – with some believing consuming the meat may help dispel unhealthy luck whereas others contemplate it a delicacy.
But attitudes in the direction of consuming canine meat are slowly altering, notably in cities, because the animals are more and more saved as pets.
Kieu Viet Hung, who has been working within the commerce for the previous seven years, handed 44 dogs over to a shelter on Friday, which can take care of the animals and attempt to discover them new properties.
‘When I used to kill them, I felt sorry for them,’ Hung, 39, mentioned at his farm in mountainous Thai Nguyen City, north of Hanoi.
More than 40 dogs, together with a litter of 10-day-old puppies, have been let loose from a slaughterhouse in Vietnam on Friday
The slaughterhouse’s proprietor give up the canine meat commerce, and gave all his captive dogs to an area charity
In Asia, attitudes in the direction of consuming canine meat are slowly altering, notably in cities
Most of the dogs killed in Vietnam are stolen pets or strays snatched from the streets utilizing poisoned bait, painful taser weapons, or imported from close by nations
Hung slaughtered as much as 20,000 dogs over the previous seven years.
The majority have been offered to him by rural households who breed puppies at home to complement their revenue.
Traders would ship round 50 puppies each one or two months to Hung’s facility, the place they have been saved in filthy cages, fattened up over a number of weeks or months after which killed, in line with the Humane Society International (HSI), one in every of a number of charities working to finish the canine meat commerce in Vietnam.
Hung has now switched his business to buying and selling scrap steel and promoting fertiliser.
Most of the dogs killed in Vietnam are stolen pets or strays snatched from the streets utilizing poisoned bait, painful taser weapons, or imported from surrounding nations corresponding to Cambodia, HSI says.
‘Whilst we have seen the federal government take some measures, (together with) rising penalties for individuals who steal pet animals, we nonetheless know that there is a large downside with lack of enforcement,’ Lola Webber of HSI mentioned.
Authorities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have urged folks to not eat canine meat, however the commerce continues.
Attitudes in the direction of consuming canine meat are altering in Asia, however many who depend on the business have been pushing again
Some folks imagine consuming canine meat may help dispel unhealthy luck, whereas others contemplate it a delicacy
The charity will now take the dogs into their care, and can attempt to discover new properties for them
The pooches have been saved in filthy cages, fattened up over a number of weeks or months after which killed
The Humane Society International mentioned that whereas legal guidelines banning the canine meat commerce could also be coming into place, enforcement of those legal guidelines is low
A driver in Ho Chi Minh City final month rammed his automobile into the bike of two males carrying a bag of stolen dogs, state media reported.
While attitudes in the direction of consuming canine meat are altering in Asia, many are pushing back against the tide.
In South Korea, canine meat farmers face rising scrutiny from officers and more and more unfavourable public opinion.
They complain that officers go to them repeatedly in response to complaints filed by activists and residents over alleged animal abuse and different wrongdoing.
One farmer advised the Associated Press that greater than 90 such petitions have been filed in opposition to his farm throughout a recent four-month span.
Son Won Hak, normal secretary of the nation’s canine farmers’ affiliation, mentioned many farms have collapsed in recent years due to falling canine meat costs and weaker demand.
He thinks that is a results of activist campaigns and unfair media experiences specializing in farms with inferior circumstances.
Some observers, nonetheless, say consumption of canine meat was already declining, with younger folks staying away from it.
