TORONTO – An animal rights group launched a heartbreaking ad campaign last week in an effort to combat the commercial production of dog meat in Thailand.
UniDog, a Thailand-based not-for-profit organization, launched the “Beg for Life” campaign to protest the consumption and trade of dog meat.
The campaign features images of dogs with large soup bowls around their heads, which look similar to the protective cones veterinarians use after surgery, and a small line of text that reads: “I’m Begging For Life, Not Food.”
According to the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), an estimated 25 million dogs are killed for human consumption every year.
Eating dog meat is common in China, South Korea and Vietnam. However, the dog meat trade is either illegal or unregulated in the countries where it’s most prevalent, according to the WSPA.
In South Korea, dogs sold for meat are not recognized as livestock for slaughter and the meat can’t be legally sold.
According to Soi Dog Foundation, another non-profit group based in Thailand, tens of thousands of dogs are inhumanely transported from Thailand to neighbouring countries each year, where they are often skinned alive.
John Dalley, who works with Soi Dog Foundation, told CNN in June that almost 98 per cent of the dogs culled are domesticated.
“You can see all types of pedigree animals in these captured Thai shipments — golden retrievers, long-haired terriers, you name it,” he said. “Some are bought. Others are snatched from streets, temples, and even people’s gardens.”
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