At the Winter Olympics, currently being held in Pyeonchang, South Korea, vegan figure skater, Meagan Duhamel has called upon her fellow athletes to save dogs imprisoned in dog meat farms.
Source: Meagan Duhamel / INSTAGRAM
The New York Post reported her amazing story. The 32 year old canadien skater is already a keen animal rights activist and last February, while though she was scouting out the venue in South Korea, she rescued a miniature dachshund, named Moo-Tae, from a slaughterhouse.Last year, the athlete also saved another dog from being farmed and it's now living happily with a canadien family who have adopted it.It has also been reported that she intends to bring more slaughterhouse dogs from South Korea to the US and Canada. Animal Charity Free Korean Dogs re-homes dogs coming from South Korean meat farms, bringing them to US and canadien soil. It is thanks to them that Duhamel was able to adopt her little dachshund.
In 1984, the government banned dog meat from the Olympics being held in Seoul, aiming to avoid negative publicity.
Source: CTV News
This year, the Korean Association for Animal Protection, as well as the local government, have attempted to persuade restaurants in Pyeongchang from having dog meat on their menus.However, this didn't go down well with the restaurant owners with one of them saying:
I have sold dog meat for dozens of years. I cannot change my menu just because of the Olympic Games.
In South Korea alone, around 2 million dogs are taken to farms each year where they are slaughtered and then sold for their meat. Charities such as the Humane Society International (HSI)have fought tirelessly to put an end to this market.The South Korean animal protection organisation said during a press conference held on January 3:
We wish to bring an end to Korea’s dog meat-eating habit. Dogs are man’s best friend and we shouldn’t eat them.
According to a study carried out in 2015 by Gallup Korea, 20% of Koreans in their twenties admitted to having eaten dog meat throughout the year compared with 50% of people aged in their fifties or sixties.For the younger generations who are much more influenced by western culture, cats and dogs are first and foremost pets, making it strange and shocking for them to even consider eating them. It's therefore very likely that the dog meat market will decline over the coming decades in South Korea and China.If you would like to help end dog meat farming once and for all, you can sign a petition by Stop Dog Meathere.
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