- [Narrator] Humans have well established
relationships with dogs that date back to 15,000 BC.
There are about 50 million
dogs in North American homes
and 110 million in China.
While most people today treasure dogs as companion animals,
many are still being raised as livestock
for human consumption.
The honest truth about the dog meat trade.
Killing dogs for meat is a serious animal welfare issue
in Asian countries.
It's a billion dollar industry.
30 million dogs are killed annually in Asia
for human consumption.
In Vietnam, five million dogs are slaughtered yearly.
In South Korea, one million are slaughtered.
In response to public outcry,
the nation decided to make killing dogs for food illegal
but eating dog meat however is still accepted.
China may have one of the densest pet dog populations.
But it also has one of the highest numbers of dogs
killed for food.
In the estimated 10 million dogs killed for dog meat
in the country every year.
Only 20% of the population actually eats it.
While 65% have never even tried it.
Why eat dog?
At the beginning of the first millennium in 206 AD,
China was in a feudal state during the Han Dynasty.
At the time it was common to eat dog meat.
Farmers often resorted to slaughtering their dogs
to supplement their limited diet of rice and millet.
By the Sui and Tang dynasties from 508 AD to 907 AD,
people began to eschew eating dog meat
as they started to see dogs as loyal companions.
Over the centuries, food availability began to rise
and people of today no longer need to rely
on dog meat for sustenance.
Eating dog may seem obviously inhumane to many
but for some in Asian cultures there's a myth
that pet dogs are different than meat dogs.
Animal welfare groups such as Soi Dog are actively trying
to bust that myth and educate the public on the cruelty
that is involved in slaughtering dogs for food.
The group launched a campaign in South Korea
called A Dog Is A Dog to combat the misinformed notion
that meat dogs do not have a soul or feelings
while pet dogs do.
The dog meat trade is considered inhumane for many reasons.
The dogs are raised on factory farms
and cramped in unsanitary conditions.
Animals Asia notes that a large percentage of dogs
were either originally vulnerable strays
or in many cases, pet dogs stolen from families' homes.
Dogs are tortured for hours before being skinned alive
in boiling water, burned alive, hanged, or electrocuted.
According to Soi Dog, the reason for torturing
these creatures is due to the belief that pain inflicted
will tenderize the meat.
Dogs are shipped to meat markets in cramped cages
and they arrive dehydrated, injured, and exhausted.
As they watch other dogs get bludgeoned to death.
President of Humane Society International
and the Humane Society of the United States,
Kitty Block visited one of South Korea's
17,000 dog meat farms
before the PyeongChang Winter Olympics
and was quote, heartbroken to see
how starved these animals were.
Not just for food but for human attention.
As the inhumane reality behind the dog meat trade
is coming to light, there has been major controversy
surrounding China's popular Yulin Dog Meat Festival.
The Yulin Festival goes by the official name
the Lychee and Dog Meat Festival
and 2019's event will take place on June 21st to June 30th.
During this time an estimated 10,000 dogs
will be tortured and eaten.
Animal activists have reported that dogs are publicly
clubbed to death at the festival
and that it's hygiene practices do not meet the requirements
of Chinese regulations.
In China activists are working hard
to end the dog meat trade.
Organizations such as Soi Dog, Animals Asia,
and Humane Society International are facilitating rescues
in China to save vulnerable dogs.
And they're also addressing the industry's systemic issues.
HSI launched China Animal Protection Power,
a team of activists that work with local authorities
to pull over trucks jammed with illegally acquired
and illegally transported dogs and cats.
There is even a ban on dog meat in Hong Kong.
Dog meat bans have been introduced
in other eastern countries too.
The Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Singapore.
More recently, Indonesia has pledged support for a ban.
In the U.S., a bill was introduced in late 2018
to ban the import, export, and slaughter of cats and dogs
for human consumption.
A similar bill has been introduced in the UK
that would ban the sale of dog meat across the country.
Want to show your support for bills to ban dog meat?
Check out the links to petitions in our video description.
That's it for today.
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