A report from Korea:
Thanks to pressure from animal rights activists, a festival in South Korea to promote the consumption dog meat has been canceled.
The Korea Dog Farmers’ Association had scheduled the festival for Friday in an open-air market in a city just south of Seoul. AFP reported, “It would have showcased various canine delicacies including barbecued dog, sausages and steamed paws.”
The event also planned to sell cosmetics and spirits with canine ingredients. And it would have tried to raise public awareness about the conditions on dog meat farms by featuring videos of canines being raised in clean environments.
Public opinion has taken a downturn in recent years, especially from younger Koreans who oppose the practice and consider it an “international embarrassment.”
The Association had hoped the festival would change public perception and increase sales for the approximately 600 dog farms in the area.
John Woestendiek, creator of the ohmidog blog recently returned from South Korea and the marketplace where the event would have taken place. He said the Moran Market is a block long outdoor bazaar that sells fruit, vegetables and all types of animals for human consumption. About two-thirds of the dog meat sold in the area comes from this market. For $100- $150 individuals can select a live dog and have it butchered.
The growing animal welfare movement in the country helped turn the tables on the dog meat festival. Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth ran an online campaign which ultimately forced the cancellation of the event.
“This is making our country an international laughing stock, and making the whole world mistakenly believe that all South Koreans eat dogs,” said Park So-Youn, head of Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth.
“Canines are the animals emotionally closest to humans. You can’t just publicly celebrate killing and eating them.”
The continued protests led to retailers backing out on renting space to the group. “We couldn’t possibly go on with the plan due to endless phone calls of complaint … now there are few willing to rent us a place for the event,” Ann Yong-Geun, an adviser to Korea Dog Farmers’ Association and a professor of nutrition at Chung Cheong University said to AFP.
Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/dog-meat-farmers-cancel-festival.html#ixzz1Ql7qI0X9
Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/dog-meat-farmers-cancel-festival.html#ixzz1Ql7bYqwb
We look forward to a time when humans stop eating dogs and cats because they are so emotionally-linked to us.
And, we also look forward to a time when humans realise that chickens, pigs, cows, goats, etc. are also feeling beings capable of suffering and feeling pain and the fear of death.
We look forward to a better Earth where humans and animals live in harmony with each other, respecting each other’s precious presence on this planet.
We need to be the change we want to see.
All talk and no action amounts to nothing.
A vege lunch today?
If you are not vegetarian, you may wish to declare a Vege Day once a week. That would be a day you celebrate the preciousness of all life on Earth.
The city of Ghent in Belgium has declared a Vege Day in their whole city where nobody eats meat once a week.
Comments
4 responses to “Dog meat farmers cancel festival in Korea”
While I personally try to reduce meat consumption on a daily basis, I do believe humans are omnivores. In other words, we kill to eat – not to torture or bully or whatever. Limiting to only several or one type of meat is good. Having a vege day a week is also good. But imagine if all humans are vegetarians, the eco system will go all wrong, and by then, we'll have to think of 'spaying' chickens and other animals too.
But of course, many humans are already eating more meat than we should, hence all the farms and slaughter houses. Whether we like it or not, we humans just screw up the whole eco system, don't we? 🙂
And yes, YAY for all the pressure and the cancellation of the so-called festival! 🙂
I agree with you, Huey. But I'm not sure about screwing up the eco-system if humans stop eating meat, though. Not sure if this would happen because the carnivorous animals would still eat meat, hence, creating the balance. But I'm all for going meatless once a week (or 3 times a week). Research shows that if Americans were willing to reduce only 10% of their meat consumption, the grains used to feed the animals in the slaughter-houses would be sufficient to eliminate world hungry for every single human, ie. the grains are channeled over to feed humans instead of the animals (at the slaughter houses). My other concern about meat-eating is that the animals are tortured in the factory farms. That is so, so sad.
Hmm true also re other carnivorous animals. I guess we can only imagine what might happen…
Yes I agree it's very sad re the tortures in the factory farms. I've read in an article that one of the reasons humans tend to get into so many diseases out of nowhere, is because of what we eat – animals that has been tortured before going into our stomachs. It's because they carry a very sad and negative energy (from all the tortures and being caged, cramped, etc.) with them when they die as food. I guess in nature, it's OK to die as food (I mean, not that any animals would die happily, I'm referring to predator-prey relationships) but long torture before death is another story.
And the end of the day, we might just be paying the price ourselves. 🙂