Dog Meat Trade Thrives in Summer: Slaughtering Man's Best Friend [PHOTOS]
atul bafna
South Koreans call the three hottest days of the year "Boknal" and traditionally go on picnics in the mountains and valleys.
People beat the summer heat by drinking liquor and dining on dog meat. Dog meat is a traditional cuisine. The meat is considered to possess qualities that help stamina and balance the body's heat during the summer months.
Although about 30% of the population have eaten dog meat at least once in their lifetime, only a small number eats dog meat regularly in the country.
Some Koreans are trying to change the practice. They believe it's unacceptable to eat man's best friend.
The Korea Dog Farmers' Association was to have an open-air market in the city of Seongnam (South of Seoul), but after numerous protesters spoke out against such practices, the market was canceled.
"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," Park said.
Ann, a professor of nutrition at Chung Cheong University, told AFP, "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."
The practice of eating meat in South Korea has been tied to making one more sexually active, though some Koreas disagree with this reason. The practice has also been, like China, traced to health related reasons.
Dog meat is also part of Chinese traditional cuisine, and it has been a source of food in some areas of China from around 500 BC, and possibly even earlier.
Still, Chinese animal rights activists in the People's Republic are trying to ban the item from menus.
The first draft of a law against animal abuse, aiming to protect animals from being hurt or killed in a cruel manner, was completed by a group of experts and was due to be raised for legislation in April, local media reported earlier this year.
The proposal included jailing people who eat dog meat for up 15 days. While many Chinese enjoy rich dog meat, especially during cold winters, some object to the practice in some regions of beating dogs to death to release the blood into the meat.
Preserved dog meat is an accepted cuisine in some parts of Guangdong province as certain breeds of dogs are raised up to 3 or 4 months old and slaughtered on farms, local media reported. Eating dog is a socially acceptable practice in parts of southern China
A worker removes a dog's fur at a slaughter house in Dongbei county of Lianzhou, Guangdong province, November 24, 2009. Preserved dog meat is an accepted cuisine in some parts of Guangdong province as certain breeds of dogs are raised up to 3 or 4 months old and slaughtered on farms, local media reported. Picture taken November 24, 2009.
Source: Reuters
A woman cooks dog meat at a restaurant in Seoul July 14, 2011. While animal rights activists have condemned dog meat as a cruel treatment of the animals, it is still an accepted popular delicacy for some South Korean, as well in some other Asian countries. July 14 is the day South Koreans have foods like chicken soup and dog meat, raised for food but not for pet, as they believe the foods would help them survive hot weather in the summer time.
Source: REUTERS / Truth Leem
Bowls of dog meat are pictured at a restaurant in Seoul July 14, 2011. While animal rights activists have condemned dog meat as a cruel treatment of the animals, it is still an accepted popular delicacy for some South Korean, as well in some other Asian countries. July 14 is the day South Koreans have foods like chicken soup and dog meat, raised for food but not for pet, as they believe the foods would help them survive hot weather in the summer time.
Source: REUTERS / Truth Leem
People eat dog meat at a restaurant in Seoul July 14, 2011. While animal rights activists have condemned dog meat as a cruel treatment of the animals, it is still an accepted popular delicacy for some South Korean, as well in some other Asian countries. July 14 is the day South Koreans have foods like chicken soup and dog meat, raised for food but not for pet, as they believe the foods would help them survive hot weather in the summer time. Picture taken July 14, 2011.
Source: REUTERS
There is no enforced law at the current moment, but there has been a movement to ban dog meat since 2007. The draft was proposed in 2010.
Source: Reuters
A vendor prepares to skin dogs at a food market in Nanjing, Jiangsu province June 12, 2008. Dog meat has long been a popular delicacy in China, and is commonly known as "fragrant meat"
Source: Reuters
Some of the favorite dog meat dish includes braised dog meat with tofu and dry cabbage, dog meat tripe in sauce, sengsu (tongseng asu), sate jamu, and kambing balap bosintang.
Source: Reuters
A truck carrying dogs can be seen travelling along a road on the outskirts of Beijing June 28, 2011. The first draft of a law against animal abuse, aiming to protect animals from being hurt or killed in a cruel manner, was completed by a group of experts and was due to be raised for legislation in April, local media reported earlier this year. The proposal included jailing people who eat dog meat for up 15 days. While many Chinese enjoy rich dog meat, especially during cold winters, some object to the practice in some regions of beating dogs to death to release the blood into the meat.
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