A chilling e-mail came to us recently. Although it
is “off-topic” for the Courier, we encouraged the sender to take
photos. We feel compelled to share them along with her commentary.
“I am an animal/environmental/human rights activist
in the USA, but am teaching in S Korea right now. I am always glad
to find other people who are also helping animals. Thank you for
caring beyond yourself & your species.”
Here are the pictures I promised. I am sorry they
aren't great quality. I used a disposable camera and it was a gray
morning-
I especially wanted the dog to show up better, but
the light was behind him. One photo is of the "restaurant/
butcher" where you can dine or just take your dog to be slaughtered.
One of the dogs of that breed is on the roof. Another photo is
of a shop of a dog eater that chains dogs out front (by the bowl
by the umbrella stand) when he's working-
He is between dogs in this picture - just the empty bowl there.
I fed & petted two of them until I realized what he was and
what he thought they were for. They looked
at him like a hero since he got them out of the small cages in
the dog market. I wish I could do more.
As I was getting pictures of the "shop," a
dog came out and I took pictures.
The dogs they think of as food are beautiful,-white
or brindle; their heads are between a shepherd and akita. I feel
frustrated that they love the tiny dogs, but don't see that the
others make good friends, too. Of course, I feel that way about
all species.
I knew a woman who loved her pot-bellied pig yet
ate ham. She didn't see the connection. Maybe one day... There
are certainly more vegetarians and vegans in the US now. Of course,
the US food programs and McDonalds, etc. turned a lot of foreign
veggie people into meat eaters.
If you wish to contact the person who sent these,
please e-mail: wildwatch@verizon.net and
we’ll get you in touch.
Thanks for the following post from Adele:
WORLD DEMONSTRATION DAY
JULY 16, 2003
Contact: Kyenan Kum, iaka@koreananimals.org ,
(510) 271-6795
Bok Days are the hottest days of the year in Korea.
They are also the days in which the greatest number of dogs are
consumed. Some Koreans believe that eating dog-meat stew will alleviate
the summer heat, in addition to increasing a man’s sexual prowess.
While this season spans 30 days, only three days are designated
Bok Days; this year they fall on July 16th, (the beginning of the
season) July 26th, and August 15th.
We need as many people to support these demonstrations
against dog-eating as we can get! Each year over 2.6 million dogs
and hundreds of thousands of cats are tortured and killed for human
consumption. Korean dog eaters believe that the more a dog suffers,
the more tender and sexually potent the meat. Korea’s 1991 Animal
Protection Law makes it illegal to harm or abuse dogs, cats and
all other animals, and yet the Korean government does nothing to
stop these atrocities. With our show of international force, we
will lobby the Korean government for stronger, enforceable animal
protection laws that will protect companion animals from being
eaten.
If you are curious about how our demonstrations operate,
please see www.koreananimals.org/update.htm for
examples. You can also download flyers for the demonstrations from
the same page.
As always, please contact IAKA with any questions,
comments, suggestions, ideas, or concerns. Thank you and lets make
some noise for the cats and dogs of Korea!
