December 27, 2012
Pet Dogs Abandoned and Sold by Owners for Korean Meat Market
At
the height of summer, known in Korean as the Boknal, it has been reported
that those who can no longer take care of their pet dogs take them to the
Moran market outside Seoul in an attempt to sell them for meat, only to
abandon them when merchants refuse to purchase a former pet [Moran is known
for selling animals as both pets and meat].
This article, reposted on
Daum, is based on an interview with an angry dog-meat merchant, who
criticizes these pet owners as having double-standards when it comes to the
issue of eating dog. South Korean netizens were completely outraged to hear
that pet dogs are being abandoned in this way, with many advocating a
complete ban on eating dog meat in South Korea.
Furthermore, as the
netizen comments show, eating dog in Korea is far from being the norm. In
fact, the consumption of dog meat in South Korea is extremely controversial,
with many Koreans finding scenes like the one below as harrowing as those
seeing them from the West. Do you know how pitiful those dogs are? They
point the finger at us for selling dog meat, but how could they dump what
would have been something like a member of their family? They deliberately
drop their dogs off here. But we are not some stray dog disposal team'.
Days before the chobok, the dog days of summer, the Moran market in
Seongnam is busy. One third of the dog meat sold in the country passes
through here, and Lee Kang-choon (58) is often very disturbed by a number of
calls he receives as the chobok nears. Most of the calls ask whether pet
dogs can be taken care of at the market, because the owners can no longer
look after them. Nowadays Lee simply hangs up on such enquiries in disgust,
wondering why people see the Moran market as a 'dog dumping ground.' Last
year, Lee was embroiled in a huge controversy with animal rights groups over
the 'dogmeat festival', but he has had enough with the double standard that
he witnessed in the people who criticized him for dog meat handling and the
people who bring their pet dogs to dispose of them once the dog is no longer
wanted.
According to Mr. Lee, the number of stray dogs found around
the Moran market is about 15-16 per month. The dog owners often quietly
propose that the meat merchants take the dog and when the merchants refuse,
they simply abandon their pet dog somewhere nearby. Those dogs often stay in
groups of 5-6 and some of them 'suddenly disappear.'
Mr. Lee reveals
that 'the pet dogs that are no longer wanted or fall sick cost about 300,000
Won ($300 USD) to put down, so they try to save on the cost by bringing them
here.' Sometimes even pet shops or veterinarians also approach them for dogs
under treatment. The merchants cannot take on any dog that has been neutered
for hygienic reasons.
In fact this reporter found a small dog alone
near a garbage dump. The dog appeared very guarded against any human and
kept its distance. Lee pointed to a several shacks on the wasteland,
saying 'over there they eat the stray dogs all the time.' He often hears from
witnesses who have seen homeless people directly take a live animal to eat.
Lee vented his anger: 'Seeing homeless people eating those stray dogs, the
problem is that it is not only unhygienic but I wonder whether animal rights
groups have any idea that this is going on, and if so I'm curious what they
plan to do about it.' Every year, a number of animal rights group activists
have protests around the Boknal. Even the confrontation between the
merchants and the activists has become something of a typical scene. Mr. Lee
concluded by asking restraint on blanket criticism for difference of
opinion. He wishes to 'remind the people of the cruelty of procedures such
as removing a dog's vocal chords or snipping off their ears to prevent odors
to keep them indoor.
Source:
http://www.koreabang.com/2012/stories/pet-dogs-sold-or-abandoned-by-owners-for-meat-at-marketplace.html
Original article in Korean:
http://media.daum.net/society/others/newsview?newsid=20120623090113347
Petitions:
http://koreandogs.org/?page_id=1512
