Hundreds of dogs have been saved from a meat farm in South Korea, thanks to an animal rights charity.
The animals, both dogs and puppies, were kept in tiny, rusty cages in the farm in Hongseong, western South Korea, which has been breeding animals to be sold for meat for the last eight years.
Yesterday, activists from the Humane Society International (HIS) removed 200 chihuahuas, corgis, poodles, Pomeranians, Yorkshire terriers, French bulldogs, huskies and Shi Tzus from the farm.
It is said the puppies were being held in cages with no proper flooring, and with nothing but a few heat lamps and disused car tyres to keep warm. Meanwhile, the grown dogs who were set to be sold to restaurants for meat were kept out in the cold.
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A lot of the dogs were starving and emaciated, with matted fur and left without water, while some had untreated injuries and deformities on their paws as a result of the heinous cramped conditions they were living in.
The farm was said to have bred dogs for both meat and pets, therefore any puppies that didn't get sold as pets would be taken to the slaughter house and sold on for meat.
Nara Kim from the Humane Society International told the Daily Mail: "The lines between puppy mills and dog meat farms are routinely blurred throughout South Korea, and with our latest dog farm closure we are exposing the shocking reality of that.
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"These dogs are suffering at the hands of two abusive industries, their ultimate fate depending on whether they will sell for more money as a pet or for meat.
"They all start life in this depressing, squalid place, with the lucky few ending up being a loved companion whilst their cage mates are served at a restaurant, or enter a chain of auctions where they are sold on to the next farmer to produce litter after litter of puppies."
The HIS put weeks of negotiations in with the farmer, with the result being that the farmer cannot return to the dog meat trade for the next 20 years.
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The dog rescued will now be taken to the US and Canada where they will be put up for adoption by the HIS.
Featured Image Credit: Humane Society International
