IDA Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Live Markets’

CoCo was rescued from a "Dog Meat Farm" in 2010 & now has a loving home!

Every dog is a story. In South Korea, millions of dogs are subjected to the most unimaginable agony until their last breath, at grim and squalid dog meat farms and meat markets—the very bowels of existence—with their pitiless smell of human injustice and cruelty. They come to sorrow in these hellish places, imprisoned in filthy and desolate cages, where puppies are usually separated from their mothers, all awaiting their fate. According to a persistent and mystifying belief, the greater the terror and pain a dog experiences while dying—the more he suffers—the more intense the boost in adrenaline in the flesh for a tastier meat, as well as a real boon for a man’s virility. A life snuffed out. Everyday cruelties perpetrated casually and without remorse.

As every dog is a story, every rescue is a story—jubilation-bringing rescues that are rays of light in a realm of darkness.

Happy Angels Dog Rescue, in Los Angeles, California, not only rescues dogs from high-kill shelters and off the streets of L.A., but also funds, transports, and places dogs from South Korea. Working with various South Korean animal organizations, including IDA’s partner Coexistence for Animal Rights on Earth (CARE) and Young-Jin Kwon of the newly formed People Defending Animals, dogs are saved from dog meat slaughterhouses, dog meat farms, restaurants that serve dog meat, S. Korean shelters, and individual abuse cases. Because many South Korean dog lovers clamor for purebreds, especially puppies, adult dogs of mixed breeds find it much more difficult to find homes there. After rescue, the South Korean organizations foster and assist in the transportation of the dogs.

Founded in June, 2008, by Stephanie Jeong, Happy Angels has transported about 150 S. Korean dogs to be placed in permanent homes in Los Angeles. The following stories highlight an odyssey of unremittingly bleak lives, and miraculous endings.

Click ‘Read More’ to read these amazing and heartwarming stories!

Click Here to learn more about what IDA is doing to help animals in live markets in Korea.

Please click here for more info and to donate.

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On September 27, 2011, the Richmond, California City Council voted to end live bird sales at its farmers’ market, effective November 1, 2011. In Defense of Animals partnered with LGBT Compassion to organize weekly protests, petitions, action alerts and other pressures to convince the city to end the cruel practice of selling live chickens at the Richmond Farmers’ Market.

The Richmond mayor received over 1,000 e-mails from local IDA supporters, and she acknowledged these e-mails at the meeting. Nineteen passionate animal advocates spoke in support of the ban and only two people spoke in opposition. All our efforts paid off with a 4 – 2 vote, with the mayor voting for the ban. Supportive Council Member Jeff Ritterman did a celebratory chair spin and fist pump in the air as the room full of animal advocates gave a standing ovation!

The vendor, Raymond Young, has a history of well-documented and shocking mistreatment of the spent egg-laying hens he sells at market. In 2009, San Francisco’s Animal Care and Control cited Mr. Young for 795 cruelty violations, including overcrowding, injuries, and failure to provide water. This was after he ignored requests for corrections.

At the weekly protests, IDA activists repeatedly witnessed the disturbing procedure of two birds being forcefully yanked from their tiny cage and stuffed upside-down into one paper bag with little ventilation. Most of the birds go immediate into a silent shock, but others loudly squawk and scream in fear and struggle in vain to free themselves. We have video of customers putting the birds in their car trunks and then returning to shop at the market. We witnessed children kicking and violently picking up and dropping the bags on the concrete. If there was a dog or a cat in the bag, these customers could be arrested for animal cruelty – a chicken has the same capacity to suffer as a dog or a cat.

There is no regulation or supervision of what happens when these chickens reach the customer’s house. They could be starved, terrorized by pets or children, and a careless or just unknowledgeable slaughter could cause prolonged and immense suffering. Self-slaughter violates California’s humane poultry slaughter laws, which require poultry to be killed by specific methods at licensed facilities – and for good reasons.

Two years ago, live birds were being sold at four Bay Area farmers’ markets. As of this week, they are sold at none, Richmond was the last to finally ban this practice, thanks to the tireless efforts of many animal advocates.

Please replace your profile pictures with the Virtual Demo "Sign"

Tuesday, August 16th, is the International Day of Action for South Korean Dogs and Cats, when activists around the world speak out against the suffering and terrible fate of the two million dogs and cats killed every year in South Korea for consumption.

Mostly homeless dogs are strangled, beaten to death, or literally ripped apart. Others are bred on dog farms in deplorable conditions, crammed together in tiny cages, awaiting their gruesome deaths. Cats are subjected to their own torment by being bludgeoned and then boiled alive in “medicinal” stews.

This year, everyone can help the dogs and cats, no matter where you live, by participating in a virtual demonstration on Facebook and Twitter. It’s easy to do and a fantastic way to spread the word that it’s time to stop these indefensible atrocities perpetrated against the dogs and cats of S. Korea.

Please support South Korean animal-protection organizations in urging the South Korean government to strengthen its existing laws to illegalize the killing of companion animals and not openly sanction the illicit and shadowy world of the dog and cat industry.

Here’s how it works:

Facebook Instructions – Speak up for these Dogs & Cats in 2 easy steps!

1. Make sure you have your protest “Sign“. All you have to do is right click on the “South Korean Dog” image and choose “Save” to get this “sign”. Replace your profile photo to your “sign” and keep it up all week.

2. On Tuesday August 16th, post a link to this Action Alert that will allow you send an email to the Korean Government  letting them know that you are appalled and shocked to learn about the rampant cruelties inflicted upon animals that have been documented in South Korea’s live food markets. Then throughout the day encourage your friends to also send an email and join our efforts by changing their profile photo too!

Twitter Instructions:

1. Make sure you have your protest “sign“. All you have to do is right click on the “South Korean Dog” image and choose “Save” to get this “sign”. Replace your profile photo to your “sign” and keep it up all week.

2. On Tuesday August 16th, Tweet a link to this Action Alert that will allow you send an email to the Korean Government  letting them know that you are appalled and shocked to learn about the rampant cruelties inflicted upon animals that have been documented in South Korea’s live food markets. Then throughout the day tweet friendly reminders to encourage your friends to also tweet the link, send an email and join our efforts by changing their profile photo too! By including the following 3 Hastags (#) you can also encourage other animal activists outside your current followers to also join our efforts! Just paste one of 3 Hastags into your tweet – remember to not put spaces between the words and to include the #  :

• #DogsandCatsMatter
• #FriendsNOTFood
• #HelpTheseDogsandCats

One of the best things about your Online demos is that you can run them all day – Rain or Shine! But remember Messages, Statuses and Tweets that include profanity or can be interpreted as “abusive” may result in your profile being reported and/or deleted by Twitter and Facebook. IDA is not reasonable for any Messages, Statuses or Tweets sent or action that results. Please also keep in mind that the advocates in South Korea helping these animals are also South Korean – so please avoid language or comments that could be interpreted as hateful or even racist towards all South Koreans and Asians.

To find out how you can animals year round – CLICK HERE to sign up at IDA’s Action Center!

Imagine an elderly golden retriever behind the bars of a small cage; his warm brown eyes begging for your help. In the United States this dog would most likely be in a shelter waiting for his forever home, but the dog I speak of was condemned to a tortuous death in the South Korean meat market. Dogs just like those you and I cherish as members of our family are killed for their meat every day in South Korea. In Defense of Animals cannot turn away from the great need of these helpless beings.

IDA’s South Korean partners, Coexistence for Animal Rights on Earth, (CARE) recently received information about a remote dog meat “farm” in Gyeonggi Province. When CARE activists visited the facility, they discovered an appalling scene. Dogs were living in miserable conditions in feces-laden, cramped, ramshackle cages. These neglected dogs were filthy- some suffering from severe injuries.

The conditions were so horrible; these brave activists simply couldn’t leave without the dogs. At the risk of arrest and personal injury, they rescued the dogs, bringing them to CARE’s animal shelter to be treated, cleaned and, most likely, loved for the first time. You can see the images of the dramatic rescue here .

Some in South Korea believe that the more the dog suffers during death, the more virility a man will obtain from eating his or her flesh. Dogs are tortured to death in shocking and unimaginable ways because of this horrible, antiquated superstition. Not only do these dogs endure loneliness and squalor during their short lives, their deaths are inconceivably cruel.

Most South Koreans consider dogs to be companion animals. Only a small minority eat them. We want to support those South Koreans who advocate that animals deserve compassion, love and respect; that they are sentient beings and not mere commodities to be bought, sold and slaughtered.

Please help IDA draw international attention to this issue by participating in our International Day of Action for South Korean Dogs on Tuesday, July 6, 2010. Dozens of cities around the world will host outreach events to educate their communities about this important issue. Activists will pass out leaflets and hold signs outside South Korean Embassies and Consulates around the globe, drawing world attention to the dogs of South Korea. Find out if your city is hosting an event here.

This year’s Day of Action includes cities in the U.S., Canada, Ireland, Bolivia, South Africa, India and of course, South Korea. Let’s support the courageous South Korean activists who battle to free these dogs by raising our voices around the world on July 6!