We must listen to witnesses on the ground who are seeing abuse, duplicity, and the dereliction of duty firsthand. Our lives depend on their voices being heard. The op-ed by Sean Thomas, International Director of Investigations at Animal Equality.
South Korea shuts down the biggest dog meat market of the country
La città di Seongnam ha deciso di vietare la macellazione di cani a scopo alimentare. Questo storico provvedimento potrebbe essere di esempio per l’intera nazione.
In Asia dogs are part of the traditional cuisine, rather than being seen as humans’ best friends. Despite we consider it a taboo – but we eat other animal species without questioning it – the practice is rooted in many Asian countries, with up to 30 million dogs slaughtered each year. Dating back to 550 D.C., however, the practice is losing ground as an increasing number of people think it’s outdated and barbaric, also by virtue of a major diffusion of dogs as pets.
A Korean city banned dog slaughtering
This trend has been confirmed by the news of a dog slaughtering ban introduced by the South Korean city of Seongnam, which is home to the Moran market – the largest dog meat market in the country.
Setting an example for the entire country
Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, City mayor Lee Jae-myung said: “Seongnam city will take the initiative to transform South Korea’s image since the greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
An agreement between authorities and sellers
The Moran market supplied one third of all dog meat consumed in the country, with 80,000 dogs sold dead or alive each year. On 13 December, local authorities and Moran’s dealers association have subscribed an agreement for closing all facilities used for dog slaughtering. The market’s 22 dog meat dealers will receive a reimbursement to convert their business.
The first step towards a historic change
This result was made possible also thanks to Seongman residents, for they were fed up with the markets’ smell, the dogs’ whines and the bad image the market was giving to the city. The news was welcomed positively by environmental associations, which have been fighting against Asian dog meat trade for years, including the Korean Animal Welfare Association. It said, though, that “this is a step in the right direction in our fight to end the horrific dog meat trade. However, we expect the dog butchers to set up their dirty business elsewhere, so In Defense of Animals will remain vigilant and will not rest until we take dog meat off the menu for good.”
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