July 14, 2009-The World Will Speak Up For The Dogs And Cats Of Korea

July 14, 2009
The World Will Speak Up For The Dogs And Cats Of Korea

The International Day of Action for Dogs and Cats in Korea is July 14. In Defense of Animals (IDA) will again be co-sponsoring this worldwide event to stop the terrible suffering these animals endure.
Demos and other events are scheduled in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Seattle, New York, Asheville, North Carolina, Ireland, Peru, Bolivia, and South Korea. If you can help organize an event in your city or town, please contact Hope, IDA's Grassroots Field Organizer, at hope@idausa.org or 415-448-0048 x. 211.

Click here or scroll down for information about any of the currently scheduled events.
And click here for more information about dogs and cats in Korea.

Background: IDA continues to work with the South Korean animal protection organization Coexistence for Animal Rights on Earth (CARE) to end the brutal slaughter of dogs and cats for human consumption. Forced to live in tiny, filthy cages and killed in unimaginably cruel ways, they deserve a voice.
Two million South Korean dogs are electrocuted, strangled, or bludgeoned to death each year. They are killed in the cruelest ways imaginable, because some Koreans believe the adrenaline that rushes through the animal's system pre-slaughter will improve virility in the consumer.
Eyewitnesses have reported dogs being torn apart while still alive, their tormentors saying that the more prolonged the torment of death, the better the taste. This attitude toward any living being is deplorable.
Building coalitions around the world, IDA is creating the network needed to put pressure on the government of the Republic of Korea to end this tragic practice.
(Important note - all references herein to "Korea" are to the Republic of Korea, or South Korea. The problems for dogs and cats are probably at least as bad in North Korea, but we do not have activists in North Korea with whom to partner. If you have information concerning activists in North Korea working to improve the lives of animals, please let us know.)

On July 14, IDA intends to have activists posted at the Korean Embassy in Washington D.C. and as many Korean Consulates and Embassies around the world as possible. There are Korean Consulates in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, Atlanta, Houston, Honolulu, and Newton, Massachusetts. If you would like to help coordinate a demonstration in any of these cities, or wherever you live, please contact Hope@idausa.org or (415) 448-0048 ex. 211. We will provide you with all the materials you need such as posters and brochures to have a successful and effective protest.
If you have already planned an event, please register your event here so you can connect with other activists in your area.
For more information about the plight of dogs and cats in the Republic of Korea, scroll to the bottom of this message, and visit our website.

Demonstrations already scheduled for July 14:

Korean Embassy in New York460 Park Ave. (at 57th St.) New York, New York4 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.contact: Garo - Companion Animals Networkgaro@companionanimalnetworktv.org (718) 544-7387 (PETS)
Korean Embassy in San Francisco3500 Clay St. San Francisco, California11 a.m. - 12 nooncontact: Hope@idausa.org (415) 448-0043 ex. 211
Korean Embassy in Los Angeles3243 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, California11 a.m. - 12 nooncontact: Bill@idausa.org (310) 301-7730
Korean Embassy in Washington D.C.2320 Massachusetts Ave.Washington, D.C. 11 a.m. - 12 nooncontact: Annie@idausa.org (757) 374-8112
Korean Embassy in Seattle, Washington2033 Sixth Ave. #1125Seattle, Washington, 9812111 a.m. - 12 nooncontact: Sandy Clintonnumptyland@yahoo.com (206) 618-4930
Korean Embassy in Newton, MassachusettsOne Gateway CenterNewton, MA. 02458TIME TBAcontact: Laura Raylaurasunray@hotmail.com (617) 512-3468
Korean Embassy in Honolulu, Hawaii2756 Pali Hwy. Honolulu, HI.12 - 2 p.m.contact: Lauren Luislauren_luis@yahoo.com
Pack Park, Asheville, North Carolina(corner of Patton & Bilymore Ave.)11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. contact: Justine Mayelajustinemayela@gmail.com (352) 317-2080
Korean Embassay in Atlanta, Georgia229 Peachtree Street Suite 500International Tower Atlanta, GAlocation and time TBAcontact: Amy Ryanajillryan@yahoo.com 404-438-1610
Embassy to The Republic of Korea in Dublin, Ireland15 Clyde Rd. Ballsbridge, Dublin 4,Ireland 12:30 - 2:30 p.m. Contact: Laura Broxson, Campaign Organizer / Press Officer, National Animal Rights Association naracampaigns@gmail.com 086-8729-444
Seoul, South Korealocation and time TBAcontact: Yuni, Korean Animal Rights Advocates yunismart@hanmail.net 010-3459-7797
Cochabamba, Bolivia Location and time TBAContact: Liliana Tellez Flor- Association for Defense of Animal Rightscarlosfcgcunha@gmail.com
Lima, Perulocation and time TBAContact: Vivianaapdaperu@gmail.com(511) 436-1487

What ELSE You Can Do:
Send letters, fax, e-mail to:Ambassador Duk-soo HanEmbassy of the Republic of Korea2320 Massachusetts Ave. NWWashington, D.C. 20008 (202) 939-5600 fax (202) 797-0595e-mail: korinfo@koreaemb.org


More Information About Dogs And Cats In South Korea

The practice of eating dogs is not widely accepted in Korea. It gained popularity after the Korean War due to widespread starvation. The practice continues to thrive with the aid of greedy restaurateurs, meat dealers, and butchers.
Many Koreans love dogs and keep dogs as companions. However, we must take action to stop the small contingent of people who blithely ignore the law and continue to abuse these innocent beings to make money.
It is unacceptable that dogs and cats should be kept in filthy crates, forced to watch one another be bludgeoned to death. It is illegal in Korea and it is the Korean government’s responsibility to ensure that anyone who breaks their laws be strictly punished.

Update from AAF -Action Alert :Please write to the members of the Chinese authorities.

Dear All,

Thank you so much for your response and support for our campaign to stop mass dog culling in China, and to engage the Chinese authorities in constructive dialogue on the issue of humane dog population and rabies control.
Many people have responded with various queries and comments and I would like to cover some of those here for your information. As you can imagine, we have our hands full at the moment and unfortunately are unable to answer everybody individually.Firstly, we understand that the images that are being circulated, including some that we have posted on our own site, are very disturbing.
The images we have used are authentic images taken during the recent mass killing of dogs in Shaanxi province. We always try to balance the need to show exactly what is going on, with a desire not to upset our supporters or turn people away. In this instance, we hope you appreciate that it is very difficult to portray accurately the situation withoutusing what are without doubt, profoundly disturbing images.We also understand that the situation in Hanzhong city makes people very upset and angry.
We understand that in these circumstances, it can be a natural response to lash out at the authorities and Chinese people in general, but it is important to understand that many Chinese people keep dogs and cats, have a high regard for the welfare of animals, and oppose the current slaughter policy just as much as anybody else. We need to encourage these people and the groups that represent them to make their voices heard.
They represent the best opportunity for change within China, and need all our support.Our experience also tells us that the authorities in China tend not to respond at all to anger. We need to engage the Chinese authorities in constructive discussion if things are to change for the better over the long term. The only way we are likely to have any success is by offering positive alternatives to the current practice of mass slaughter.
It has taken many years to open doors into the halls of power in China; with angry words, those doors could close.Constructive criticism can work. Dog culls in Heihe were recently stopped as a result of local and international pressure, and the authorities there are considering other methods of rabies control.
Your letters and efforts really can make a difference, so please do continue to support our campaign.We are constantly lobbying the Beijing authorities regarding the need for countrywide legislation and are working with China's Professor Song Wei, who is drafting the country's first animal-welfare laws - a mammoth task, which will encourage the government to adopt comprehensive legislation.
In the meantime, our information tells us that in Hanzhong the slaughter continues, so we need to double our efforts to persuade the authorities there to stop the killing. To that end, and as requested by some supporters, we have attached the addresses of the Mayor of Hanzhong City, and the Governor of Shaanxi province.
These addresses are in Chinese, and will need to be printed off and pasted onto an envelope, or you can fax these officials at the numbers provided.

We urge you to write to these members of the Chinese authorities, politely asking them to reconsider their actions, and copy your letters to your local Chinese consulate, the addresses and emails of which can still be found at http://www.travelchinaguide.com/embassy/ .
If your email bounces, please fax or mail your comments.Once again, many thanks for all your efforts to date and to everybody who has already sent a letter or made a donation to help us help the local animal welfare groups. Please keep supporting us - thousands of lives depend on it.

Regards Mark Jones
Animal Welfare Director Animals Asia Foundation http://www.animalsasia.org/

https://www.animalsasia.org/donate/index.php?DogAppeal&lg=en

Tel: + (852) 2791 2225Fax: + (852) 2791 2320

Response to my email about California Governor's Plan to Cut Shelter Funding

Thank you for sharing your concerns with me about the proposal to lift restrictions on hold times at animal shelters. I value your input during these challenging economic times. As you know, we are in the midst of the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression. We now face a budget shortfall that has grown to $24.3 billion. I have proposed cuts that I would have never proposed except in a worst-case scenario, including eliminating General Fund support for programs like Healthy Families, CalWORKs, Cal Grants and State Parks. This was not an easy decision for me. As a dog owner myself, I have always supported animal welfare and have worked to ensure the humane treatment of animals. Currently, the state requires all shelters to hold stray animals for four or six days and reimburses them for the associated costs. To address our budget crisis, I have proposed to suspend some Non-Proposition 98 mandates, including the reimbursement funds for these shelters. To help local shelters deal with the challenges of this difficult budget situation, I have also proposed that the state no longer require the four or six day hold time. Shelters still have the flexibility to keep the animals for more days, but my proposal avoids placing an unnecessary burden on local communities.As I work with my partners in the Legislature to find solutions to these problems, know that I will keep your thoughts in mind. Working together, I believe we can weather this storm and start the slow but steady march back toward prosperity.

Sincerely,Arnold Schwarzenegger


Background: Humane Society, ASPCA condemn Schwarzenegger plan to shorten animal shelter hold requirements


CONTACT THE GOVERNOR:http://gov.ca.gov/interact#contact

Help Animals Asia end China's dog culls!

It’s devastating to have to bring you such tragic, horrible news. A rabies outbreak involving 10 human cases, has prompted authorities in China's northwest Shaanxi Province to order a cull that has already seen as many as 30,000 dogs brutally slaughtered on the streets of Hanzhong and surrounding areas. This is one in 10 of the city's dogs.
Despite our best efforts – and those of other NGOs and many desperate local people – because of two more human cases of rabies, the dogs are still being brutally hunted down by gangs of men and women wielding bloody sticks, metal hooks and ropes, then heartlessly clubbed to death. Some are cherished family pets, while others are strays that have already suffered enough in their cruel, short lives on the streets.
The gutters are running with blood, but it’s the hands of the Hanzhong authorities that are stained. The slaughtered dogs were on the streets only because these people still refuse to act on the evidence before their eyes – that the only way to manage stray-dog populations (and therefore rabies and other diseases) is to implement broad vaccination and trap, neuter, release (TNR) programmes.
Over the past two weeks, families have sobbed and fallen to their knees as their beloved dogs were snatched from their arms, roughly collared with rope and beaten to death before their eyes. Often the dogs wag their tails once or twice and look up pathetically between careless heavy blows to the face, head and spine. The dogs’ cries are spine-chilling.
Other dogs whimper and cower nearby – all of them terrified, knowing their turn will come soon. Some of the killers are local men, ordered by the authorities to help in the slaughter. Others are taking part willingly, even laughing as they brutalise the dogs.
We are so grateful to Jiang Hong, founder of the Small Animal Rescue Centre of Xian, who along with representatives of several local animal-welfare groups, made an urgent trip to Hanzhong to plead our case with the authorities.
Sponsored by Animals Asia, Ms Jiang’s group spent three traumatic days witnessing and recording the cull and offering officials help with dog control. In Yangxian town, they saw no dogs alive – just rotting carcasses scattered around the streets and in the waterways, causing a serious risk to public health.
The authorities stubbornly went ahead with the cull despite receiving advice from international and Chinese experts that culls do nothing to eradicate rabies. Our own letter – passed on to Hanzhong officials by Ms Jiang – was virtually ignored, the officials seemingly unmoved and uncaring.
I’m deeply saddened by these events. I’ve grown to love China and hate to see such wanton disregard for the country’s image in the world, let alone the sheer disregard for the suffering of people and animals. But this is just a small part of the story. Every day, we are seeing amazing developments, particularly through our relationships with more than 60 local animal-welfare groups throughout the country.
Even in Hanzhong, the scene of such bloodshed earlier this month, there is positive news. More than 200 residents attended the lakeside vigil, forming a poignant “SOS” with lighted candles to mourn the victims, many of them their pets; and because of the cull, some animal lovers have formed an organisation to lobby their local authorities to adopt stray-dog management measures.
Other municipalities are listening. Just last month, Animals Asia – along with other animal-welfare groups – was able to convince officials in Hehei, Heilongjiang Province to abandon a similar cull.
Please help us with this! We urgently need funds to equip local groups with the materials and information they need to convince their local governments to work with them. With grants from Animals Asia, these groups will be able to produce their own flyers, leaflets and banners to send to the authorities, the media and public along with our Dr Eddie Education Packs, and to continue our TNR programmes.
More and more cities are listening and implementing regulations to control stray dog and cat populations. It is so important that we keep the momentum going. It is the local people themselves who are bringing about these changes. They no longer want to live in fear of walking their dogs on the streets.
These people are willing to work hard, but most are poor and lacking resources. Please help us to help them.
Sincerely,
Jill
Jill Robinson MBE Founder and CEO Animals Asia Foundation

http://www.animalsasia.org/

http://www.animalsasia.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry090609-022349

PS: Please write a polite letter to your local Chinese embassy asking for an immediate stop to the Hanzhong cull and an end to cruel dog culls throughout China. Please also ask that the Chinese authorities work with Animals Asia to introduce effective, lasting and humane anti-rabies measures. See here for embassy addresses, or here for ideas.

Dogs beaten to death on Hanzhong city streets-Please Donate to AAF

Dogs beaten to death on Hanzhong city streets

Wednesday, June 3, 2009, 08

The sight of those wretched dogs trying to crawl away from the people bludgeoning them over the head was beyond words. More heartbreaking still was the scene where a dog was surrounded by men with poles and began to wag his tail in welcome - before screaming in agony as the poles and rods came down upon his body. Howling in terror, he tried to raise himself on already broken limbs as the blows came thick and fast and sent him crashing once more to the ground. Blood gathered in pools around his head before he was picked up by one of his back legs and dragged away. The pile of dead dog grew - and people in the video laughed – satisfied with a job which had so cruelly stilled the beating hearts of our best friends.
I watched the film in disbelief – thinking surely we were of a different species to those dreadful people so utterly disconnected to the agony of animals who feel pain and terror and a host of emotions so similar to ours. That life can be so dismissively snuffed out as if it held no importance in this world reflects so appallingly on a country and people I have grown to love.

Culling in China is back - in all its bloody glory - and we need your help to make a stronger push than ever before to drive it into the dark ages where it belongs. Local animal welfare groups in China are also appalled –and we are working closely with them in appeals to the authorities – united in our call that dogs deserve better.

Animals Asia is trying to raise funds to support these groups in their efforts to stop the cull and provide the Hanzhong city authorities with an alternative solution to dog population and disease control.

Please click here to read our response to this latest cull in Hanzhong and please send any amount you can afford so that dogs who wag their tails at people in the future are met with kind smiles and perhaps an affectionate pat, rather than a hateful bloody end to their lives.

To donate to the dog cull appeal, please click here.