ENDING THE DOG MEAT TRADE
END THE CRUEL DOG MEAT TRADE
Millions of dogs and cats are slaughtered every year in the ruthless dog meat trade. Many are pets stolen from their devastated families, still wearing collars around their necks. Many more are strays shot with poison darts and grabbed from the streets by criminal gangs.
The dogs are crammed into cages on transport trucks and shipped — sometimes for days with no food or water — to meat markets, restaurants and slaughterhouses.
How Many Animals Are Killed?
Dogs Per Year
Cats Per Year
How Popular Is the Dog Meat Trade?
The dog meat trade is wildly unpopular throughout Asia, with more than 80 percent of South Korean citizens saying they will not eat dog meat in the future and nearly 75 percent of Chinese citizens supporting the recent ban on dog meat in Shenzhen.
Activists throughout Asia have been working to shut down the cruel trade for years, and with the recent coronavirus-related developments, it seems more achievable now than ever.
Lady Freethinker encourages and supports the brave local activists and rescuers working to save dogs in their communities. Those on the ground are the true heroes to the animals suffering in the meat trade.
Bok Nal ‘Dog Eating Days’
During the brutal Bok Nal ‘Dog Eating Days,’ up to a million defenseless dogs are slaughtered for meat each year.
Bok Nal marks what are supposed to be the three hottest days of the year every July and August in South Korea. Boshintang, or dog meat soup, is thought to heal and cool the body during the blazing summer months.
Most of the victims of this horrible practice come from dog breeding facilities, as South Korea is the only country in the world to allow for commercial, large-scale dog farming.
the yulin dog meat festival
Thousands of dogs die at China’s Yulin Dog Meat Festival each year on the summer solstice — just to fatten the pocketbooks of the brutal dog meat industry, which started this gruesome event to make more money.
Thanks to animal activist outcries, fewer and fewer dogs and cats are being sold annually at the festival. We must keep speaking out to shut down the Yulin Dog Meat Festival and the global dog meat trade, forever.
The cat meat trade
Cats suffer in the dog meat trade, too.
Accurate statistics are more difficult to find, but an estimated 10 million cats — 4 million in China alone — are stolen from their families or abducted from the streets to be killed for meat each year. Black cats are seen as having ‘premium’ meat.
This cruel trade is dangerous for dogs, cats, and people, increasing the likelihood of spreading zoonotic diseases like the coronavirus.
How Lady Freethinker Is
Taking Action
Our Commitment to Defeat Dog Meat
Lady Freethinker (LFT) is committed to ending the cruel dog meat trade, in which beloved family pets are stolen, tortured and slaughtered for food.
Our undercover investigations expose the harsh reality millions of dogs endure at slaughterhouses and auction facilities. Our local campaigns aim to change the hearts and minds of people who still eat dog meat. Our petitions influence government officials and policymakers to ban dog meat. And the resources we provide to local shelters — food, water, medical care, and more — help dog meat victims recover from a life filled with pain and suffering.
Investigations
Local Campaigns
Petitions
Dog Shelter Supplies
Dog Meat Auction House of Horrors
In the brutal heat of the Bok Nal “Dog Eating Days,” a Lady Freethinker (LFT) investigator went undercover to capture footage and images of captive dogs sold at what is likely the largest remaining dog meat auction in South Korea: Nakwon Auction House, in the city of Namyangju.
The Valley of Dog Meat
In a groundbreaking investigation, Lady Freethinker (LFT) teamed up with Save Korean Dogs to capture the first known footage of a cruel dog meat farm run by South Korea’s Dog Farmers Association. Located in Gimpo, an area known as the “Valley of Dog Meat,” the commercial, factory-style farm is fully legal, but operating behind closed doors — until now.
LFT’s footage reveals row after row of filthy, rusted metal cages holding up to 1,000 dogs doomed for slaughter. The farmland property was well hidden behind metal walls and decaying tarps. The conditions were deplorable — a literal hell on earth for the captive dogs.
Saving Dogs from Korean Dog Meat Trade
In the searing heat of the brutal Boknal Dog Eating Days, Lady Freethinker (LFT) founder Nina Jackel traveled to Gimpo, South Korea to support LFT partner Save Korean Dogs in their work rescuing dogs from slaughter.
Seeing the animals’ sweet faces at the rescue shelter brought her to tears of both sorrow and hope. These gentle pups had barely escaped the butchers’ noose. They were so traumatized that they cowered in fear if you raised your hand. But they were still so loyal, after all they’d been through.
Bus and Taxi Ads in South Korea
To raise awareness of the dog meat industry in Korea, Lady Freethinker (LFT) sponsered 20 taxi ads, in conjunction with LFT partner Save Korean Dogs, in the city of Paju with a clear message: dogs are “not food, but family.”
At the end of 2018, LFT sponsored two bus ads in the city of Gimpo, nicknamed “The Valley of Dog Meat in South Korea,” also in partnership with Save Korean Dogs. LFT extended the bus ad campaign through the end of 2020 because of positive responses to the ads, which read “dogs are not food, but family” and “please do not eat me.”
Helping Malians Quit the Dog Meat Trade
Lady Freethinker (LFT) is taking another step in our efforts to end the dog meat trade around the world, supporting a local nonprofit in launching a campaign to stop the cruel, underground dog meat trade in Mali.
With support from Lady Freethinker, ARAF-Plateau Dogon will push for an end the trade in the Segou region of Mali, where more than 300 dogs are killed every day for their meat.
The campaign will also promote public awareness and encourage legislation to explicitly ban the brutal trade.
Saving Dogs from Yulin Dog Meat Festival
With the support of our compassionate donors, Lady Freethinker (LFT) assisted in the rescue of 32 dogs from slaughter, who barely escaped being beaten, sliced and cooked alive for the gruesome Yulin Dog Meat Festival this June 2019.
The sweet, gentle pups were saved by LFT-supported rescuers, and are now thriving, safe and sound at a sanctuary. They now know the warmth of loving arms, and will get the tender care they need for the rest of their lives.
Petitions to end the dog meat trade
Stop the Yulin Dog Meat Festival
End China's Horrific Dog and Cat Meat Trade
Shut Down Cruel Dog Meat Auction Selling Dogs for Slaughter
Ban Korea's Brutal Dog Meat Trade
Stop Vietnam's Horrific Dog and Cat Meat Trade
End India's Cruel Dog Meat Trade
Stop Cambodia's Horrific Dog and Cat Meat Trade
Ban Slaughter of Dogs and Cats for Meat in the UK
Pass Ban on Bali's Brutal Dog and Cat Meat Trade
Pass LA Resolution Calling for Asian Dog Meat Ban
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