Author: Kristin Stone

MONTREAL—More than 80 dogs rescued from a South Korean dog meat farm by Humane Society International, with the generous support of the Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation, have arrived in Canada to find forever homes. One of those lucky pups is Beemo, with whom U.S. Olympic freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy and boyfriend Matt Wilkas fell in love when they visited the dog meat farm with HSI two weeks ago. Kenworthy and Wilkas were reunited with little Beemo at Humane Society International/Canada’s temporary shelter in Montreal, where the rescued dogs will receive desperately needed care and attention in the coming weeks. The jindo/husky mix puppy was living in subzero temperatures on the property in Gyeonggi-do province when the pair spotted her.

Kenworthy said: “Visiting the dog meat farm in South Korea was one of the most heart-wrenching things I’ve ever done. It really upset me to see these beautiful dogs enduring such horrible, inhumane conditions, and to know that without HSI’s intervention, all of them would eventually end up being killed in really brutal ways to be eaten. I have total respect for South Korea, but I don’t believe we should ever use culture as a scapegoat for animal cruelty.”

The two toured HSI/Canada’s emergency shelter to see some of the dogs they first met in the ramshackle, snow-covered meat farm, now safe and warm in HSI’s care. The dogs are a mixture of breeds including mastiff mixes, jindos, Great Pyrenees, golden retriever-crosses, Samoyed and Husky mixes and Labrador mixes. But it was little Beemo, the grey and white jindo/husky cross, that Gus and Matt were especially keen to see again. Kenworthy added: “When Matt and I were on the dog meat farm, we fell in love with Beemo instantly. As soon as I scooped her up in my arms, I knew she was coming to live with us and we cannot wait to give her a wonderful life. It’s so great to see her far away from that horrible cage. But there are millions of dogs still suffering back in South Korea, and if I can help raise awareness about how HSI’s dog farm closure programme is working hard to end the entire trade, then I’m happy to do so in honour of Beemo and all these wonderful dogs.”

Rebecca Aldworth, executive director of HSI/Canada, said: “We are so grateful to HSI supporters and the Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation for making this crucial rescue possible. To see these dogs safe at last in Canada is simply wonderful. But these dog farm closures mean even more: we are helping to show the government of South Korea that there is a viable solution for ending the dog meat trade that benefits both the dogs and the farmers. We hope this a phase-out model the South Korean government can adopt and end the dog meat trade by implementing an industry-wide transition program.”

Eric Margolis, founder of the Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation and major donor of this dog meat farm rescue, said: “When I see the kind of cruelty that exists in the dog meat trade, I have to do everything I can to stop it. These poor dogs have suffered so much, for so long. But now, they have a second chance and a wonderful future. I am honoured to support HSI/Canada in giving these deserving dogs their freedom.”

FACTS:

• This dog meat firm closure was made possible through the generous support of the Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation and HSI’s supporters.
• More than 2.5 million dogs are confined on South Korean dog meat farms each year for human consumption.
• HSI is helping to end this brutal trade with its proof of concept dog farm closure program. HSI forms a partnership with dog farmers through a legal contract to rescue their dogs and help the farmer transition to a new, humane livelihood. To date, we have rescued more than 1,300 dogs, saving their lives and bringing their stories to global audiences.

Pune, India—In a landmark judgement, the Court of the First Class Judicial Magistrate, in the case of cat hoarding in Pune, has handed over the custody of the cats to ResQ Charitable Trust, an animal welfare organization in Pune and allowed them to put the cats up for adoption. This follows a six-month long battle in the court after 56 cats were rescued from a two-bedroom apartment from horrendous conditions in Pune.

In September 2017, Humane Society International/India received complaints from Aact India and sprung to action. With the help of ResQ Charitable Trust and People for Animals, the organization coordinated a joint rescue operation to save the cats from an overcrowded apartment in Lulla Nagar, Pune. The animals were found in terrible conditions and were sent to ResQ Charitable Trust for rehabilitation and care.

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In the last order, On March 15th 2018, the court had ordered the accused, who had committed cruelty to these animals to fulfill a bond, so that they could have custody of the animals. However, the accused has failed to do so and abandoned these cats.

Neha Panchamiya, president, ResQ Charitable Trust, said, “Today’s order is a brilliant move and clearly shows that the well-being of the animal is of utmost to the Judiciary. When these cats first came to ResQ, they had longstanding medical ailments due to neglect and were feral in nature because of no human interaction. In the last six months, our team has worked around the clock to ensure that these cats get all the medical care, training and exercises they need to ensure they are healthy, loving and adoptable. The cats have been pampered, given enrichment and have learned to trust humans again. They are between the ages of six months and seven years and will be put up for adoption soon.”

N. G. Jayasimha, managing director HSI India, said: “The way the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Care and Maintenance of Case Property Animals) Rules, 2017 has been used in this case just goes to prove how the new rules can be positively implemented to impact the lives of the animals. We hope these cats will now live a healthy and happy life in their forever homes. Nothing would have been possible without the brilliant co-ordination and coming together of many organizations for one aim – to save these cats.”

Media Contact: Vidhi Malla : | +919560103078 | vmalla@hsi.org

MONTREAL—Olympic gold medalist Meagan Duhamel, joined by representatives from Humane Society International, greeted dozens of dogs rescued this week from a dog meat farm in Siheung-si, South Korea, at an HSI temporary shelter in Montreal, where they are currently receiving urgently needed care.

Rebecca Aldworth, executive director for HSI/Canada, said: “I am so pleased that HSI was able to rescue these desperate dogs from the horrific dog meat trade. At the farm, multiple dogs were crammed together in small wire cages, while others were chained to stakes in the ground. They had little protection from the freezing temperatures, and they had never received proper food or water or veterinary care. Many of the dogs were emaciated and had open sores and skin infections. But because of our amazing supporters, these dogs now have a second chance and a new life in Canada.”

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Olympic medalist Meagan Duhamel, whose dog Moo-tae was rescued from a South Korean dog meat farm, said: “Millions of dogs are subjected to unspeakable deprivation and cruelty on intensive farms and brutally slaughtered every year for the South Korean dog meat trade. I am happy to join with Humane Society International and so many courageous South Korean advocates who are working to expose the plight of these dogs and bring an end to the gruesome trade.”

HSI senior policy manager in South Korea, Borami Seo stated, “Make no mistake, South Korean advocates are leading the campaign to end the dog meat trade in my country. The growing pet culture in South Korea, and the clear interest of many farmers to transition out of this industry, is a strong indication that the dog meat trade’s days are numbered. It is time my government acted to phase out this cruel industry for good by transitioning farmers to more humane industries.”

FACTS:

• South Korea is the only country where dogs are intensively farmed for human consumption. An estimated 2.5 million dogs a year are raised on an estimated 17,000 dog farms each year in South Korea.
• The life of a dog on a dog meat farm is miserable. They are crammed in small, filthy cages exposed to the elements, with no environmental enrichment and very little food or care offered during their lifetime.
• Most people in South Korea don’t regularly eat dog meat. In fact, opposition to eating dog is growing among Korean citizens.
• While some very elderly dog farmers with whom HSI works choose to retire, others work with HSI to devise a business plan to transition into alternative, humane livelihoods such as water delivery or blueberry farming.
• An estimated 30 million dogs are brutally killed and eaten each year in parts of Asia. Hong Kong, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore have laws in place prohibiting the trade, on grounds of both animal welfare and human health/disease control.

To date, HSI has closed 11 dog meat farms and rescued about 1300 dogs from horrible fate in the dog meat trade.

This rescue is an enormous undertaking and would not have been possible without the incredibly generous support of the Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation. We also thank Friends of HSI, Sharp Transportation, supporter Barbara Elliott and C.E.S. Inc., our incredible shelter staff and volunteers, and Mondou for supplying specialized dog food.

For interview requests, please call or email media contact below. To download high-resolution photos, click here; then click “create account” at the top of the page.

Media Contact: Christopher Paré – office: 514 395-2914 x 206 / cell: 438 402-0643, email:cpare@hsi.org

LONDON—In an interview with The Economist, 1843 Magazine Italian fashion designer Donatella Versace said “Fur? I am out of that. I don’t want to kill animals to make fashion. It doesn’t feel right.”

The luxury brand has historically included lots of fur across its ranges, from a variety of species including mink and raccoon dog. Its autumn / winter 2017 collection included laser cut mink and fox coats. Versace joins top designers such as Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, Armani, Stella McCartney, Ralph Lauren, Vivienne Westwood, Tommy Hilfiger and Gucci, all of whom have banned fur from their collections.

Humane Society International, which campaigns globally for an end to the fur trade, and in the UK leads the #FurFreeBritain campaign calling for a UK fur imports ban, has welcomed the news.

Claire Bass Executive Director of Humane Society International (HSI) UK said: “Versace is a massively influential luxury brand that symbolises excess and glamour, and so its decision to stop using fur shows that compassionate fashion has never been more on trend. Versace is following in the footsteps of fellow fashion giants Gucci and Michael Kors who have dropped fur in the last six months. Such influential brands turning their backs on cruel fur makes the few designers like Fendi and Burberry who are still peddling fur look increasingly out of touch and isolated.”

Kitty Block, President of Humane Society International, said: “The news that Versace is dropping fur is the latest in a wave of powerful fur-free messages from the very top end of the luxury fashion world. It’s clear these designers recognize that designing, wearing and promoting fur is outdated and obnoxious, and by taking the brand in this new fur-free direction, Donatella Versace is showing that she really does have her finger on the pulse. Modern consumers don’t want to be associated with the suffering and death of one hundred million animals a year for the fur industry.”

Versace’s announcement follows after 31 of Britain’s biggest stars, including Dame Judi Dench and Sir Andy Murray, wrote to UK Prime Minister Theresa May in support of the #FurFreeBritain campaign. Their letter urges her to introduce a UK ban on animal-fur imports. Fur farming has been illegal in the UK since 2000, but since then Britain has imported more than £650 million worth of fur from countries such as China and Poland, where animals are typically bred in appalling conditions on fur farms.

A full list of fur-free retailers and designers can be seen here: https://furfreeretailer.com/.

ENDS

United Kingdom: Wendy Higgins: whiggins@hsi.org, +44 (0)7989 972 423

United States: Kirsten Peek kpeek@humanesociety.org

Canada: Christopher Paré – office: 514 395-2914 x 206 / cell: 438 402-0643, email: cpare@hsi.org

SEOUL—Today, Humane Society International delivered 10,000 #ScienceWithoutSuffering petition signatures gathered in support of reducing and replacing animal testing for checmicals to National Assembly member Ms. Jeong Ae Han.

Since coming into effect in 2015, Korea’s Act on the Registration and Evaluation, etc. of Chemical Substances legislation, or K-REACH, has led to a disturbing increase in animal testing. Last September, Ms. Han announced her K-REACH reform bill aimed at prioritising non-animal test methods by stipulating animal testing only as a last resort, avoiding duplicate animal testing, and promoting the development and use of alternatives. The bill is expected to go through Environment and Labour Committee discussion this month.

Support our efforts to end animal testing.

HSI launched its Science Without Suffering campaign to promote scientific research using emerging technologies without laboratory animals. HSI is urging the public to support Ms Han’s reform bill.

Many Korean citizens who signed the #ScienceWithoutSuffering petition left messages of support, including,

• “I live with a companion animal but didn’t know that animals are tested for chemical testing. I also didn’t know that there are alternative methods available to replace animal use. Hope many more people will learn about it and support this campaign”-Kim, Yongin city.
• “I’m sure there are alternative ways of animal testing in this advanced society. If we can stop abusing animals, now is the time to stop.”-Jin, Incheon city.
• “Please make science without animal suffering possible”.-Lee, Gwangju city.

HSI Senior Policy Advisor Borami Seo said, “We often hear that chemical companies are still choosing to conduct animal tests rather than to use existing data or alternative methods because it may be faster or cheaper. It is simply unacceptable that the lives of animals should be given so little value that they are made to suffer for the sake of convenience. By using existing test data and taking advantage of emerging technologies, we not only save animals from painful and lethal testing, but also offer far stronger protections for consumer safety.”

HSI continues to receive signatures for Science Without Suffering to pass the K-REACH bill. The public can also support this by participating in Text Action and urging law makers to show their support for the bill.

Join Text Action (available only in Korean):

https://blog.naver.com/hsianimals/221192703050

#ScienceWithoutSuffering petition page: http://hsi.org/koreascience

Media contact: Borami Seo bseo@hsi.org

London—This morning, Prime Minister Theresa May received a letter from 31 of Britain’s biggest stars urging her to introduce a UK ban on animal-fur imports.

Fur farming has been illegal in the UK since 2000, but since then Britain has imported over £650 million worth of fur from countries such as China and Poland, where animals are typically bred in appalling conditions on fur farms.

The stars signed the open letter to show their support for the #FurFreeBritain campaign run by a group of prominent animal charities – Humane Society International UK, the RSPCA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Four Paws, Animal Aid, Brian May’s SAVE ME TRUST, Viva!, The Jane Goodall Institute UK, and Open Cages – and supported by social network Care2.

The following celebrities have added their names: Alesha Dixon, Alison Steadman OBE, Sir Andy Murray OBE, Bill Bailey, Chris Packham, Douglas Booth, Evanna Lynch, Fearne Cotton, Gabrielle Aplin, James McVey, Jenny Seagrove, Jilly Cooper CBE, Joanna Lumley OBE, Joss Stone, Dame Judi Dench, Laura Whitmore, Lesley Nicol, Lucy Watson, Martin Clunes OBE, Melanie C, Nicky Campbell OBE, Paloma Faith, Ricky Gervais, Rula Lenska, Simon Amstell, Simon Pegg, Sue Perkins, Tiffany Watson and Twiggy.

The celebrity support comes as a UK Government and Parliament petition approaches its 23 March deadline and nears the target of 100,000 signatures required to trigger a parliamentary debate on the UK fur trade.

Sign the e-petition to ban the sale of fur in the UK.

An extract from the letter is below:

Mrs May, the animal fur arriving in British ports is from animals who have suffered a lifetime in tiny barren cages, often driven insane by neglect. It is from animals who have been brutally electrocuted or gassed, and sometimes even skinned alive. It is from animals caught and left for days in barbaric leg-hold traps. They endure all of this to then have their fur processed into a frivolous trim on a hat, coat, shoe or handbag. We should not trade on their suffering.

Read the letter in full here.

Claire Bass, executive director of Humane Society International UK, said: “We are delighted that so many of the UK’s best-loved celebrities have spoken out in favour of a Fur Free Britain. Their words echo the calls from the vast majority of the British public who want to see an end to animal fur being imported onto our shores. The UK banned fur farming almost two decades ago because of animal suffering, but we continue to import that same cruelty from other countries such as Canada, China, Poland, and the US, where the appalling suffering continues. We urge Theresa May and her government to put an end to this double standard.

More than 100 million animals suffer each year for the global fur trade, most of them reared in terrible conditions on fur farms. Naturally wide-ranging species such as raccoon dogs, minks, and foxes are subjected to physical and psychological torment in small, barren cages for their entire lives before being killed by gassing or electrocution and skinned. Wild animals caught for their fur, such as coyotes, fare little better – they languish in agony in cruel traps for hours or even days before being shot.

Although fur farming is outlawed in the UK and EU, regulations ban imports of fur from domesticated cats and dogs and from commercial seal hunts, Britain still imports and sells the fur of a variety of other species, including foxes, rabbits, minks, coyotes, raccoon dogs, and chinchillas. Opinion polls show consistently high levels of public disapproval of fur, regardless of species – on average, 80 per cent of British citizens believe that it’s unacceptable to buy or sell animal fur in the UK.

The #FurFreeBritain campaign is calling on the government to make the UK a fur-free zone by extending the existing bans on imports of cat, dog, and seal fur to all fur-bearing species. As a member of the European Single Market, under rules relating to the free movement of goods, the UK is not currently at liberty to ban imports of animal fur, which is produced in several European countries. But Brexit gives the government the freedom to reflect the public’s distaste for all real fur and close our borders fully to this cruel and archaic trade.

The campaign is already gaining traction in Westminster; this month, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee is conducting an enquiry into the UK fur trade. It has also gained support from a growing list of MPs of all political colours, including Conservatives Zac Goldsmith and Sir Roger Gale, Labour’s Kerry McCarthy, and Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas.

Take action: Sign the petition to ban the import of fur into the UK.

Media contact: Harriet Barclay, hbarclay@hsi.org, +44 (0)7794354596

TOKYO—Baseball player and animal lover Yoh Daikan and global animal protection group Humane Society International have come together to call on the Japanese public to protect elephants from the poaching and ivory trafficking epidemic. Yoh, an outfielder with the Yomiuri Giants, one of the traditional professional baseball teams, stars in HSI’s new Japanese language video campaign and is Japan’s first celebrity to speak out for elephants. A similar video in Mandarin Chinese starring Yoh will be broadcast in Taiwan as well.

View Yoh’s video here: www.hsi.org/Yoh

Yoh said, “Elephants are the gentle giants of the Savannahs and forests of Africa and Asia. Yet every year, tens of thousands die at the hands of poachers and their ivory is traded illegally. I was deeply saddened to learn that by the time my young daughter grows up, elephants may no longer exist in the wild. I am humbled to lend my voice to save these amazing creatures.”

Continued demand for elephant ivory provides a ready marketplace for trafficked ivory obtained from poached elephants, which in turn undermines global efforts to save the species from extinction. Recognizing the urgent need for Japan to reduce ivory consumption and to combat the illegal trade in elephant ivory, several prominent Japanese e-commerce companies and retail outlets have prohibited elephant ivory products sales, including Rakuten Ichiba, AEON and Mercari.

Adam Peyman, wildlife program manager at Humane Society International, said, “As the host of the Olympics in 2020, Japan will be in the international spotlight for its ivory consumption and its role in ivory trafficking. We are hopeful that the Japanese government will continue to combat ivory trafficking. We believe that once Japanese citizens become aware of the cruelty behind ivory products, they will change their purchasing behavior. We can’t afford to waste any time in this fight to protect elephants from poaching and the threat of extinction.”

Fast facts:

• The Great Elephant Census found that between 2007 and 2014, poachers were primarily responsible for the killing of 144,000 elephants due to supply the illegal ivory trade. African Savanna elephant populations experienced a 30 percent decline during this time, with only approximately 352,271 elephants remaining in the surveyed countries.
• The Japan Ministry of the Environment released a report last November stating that between 2011 and 2016, there were more than 100 cases in which customs officials in China seized ivory exported from Japan.
• A 2016 study found that 80 percent of newly manufactured ivory products are hanko or traditional Japanese signature stamps.
• The 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP17), of which Japan is a party, recommends closure of domestic ivory markets as a matter of urgency where it contributes to poaching or illegal trade. The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution in September 2017, of which Japan was a co-sponsor, calling upon Member States to ensure that their legal domestic markets are not used to mask the trade in illegal wildlife products and to implement the CITES decision on closure of domestic ivory markets.
• In 2015, then U.S. President Barack Obama and China’s President Xi Jinping made a joint pledge to close the domestic ivory markets in their respective countries. A U.S. federal near-total ban took effect since July 2016. China instituted a ban on domestic ivory sales beginning Jan. 1, 2018. The Hong Kong legislature has also enacted an ivory sale ban that will take effect in 2021. The government of Taiwan has suggested that it will close domestic ivory markets starting January 1, 2020. The European Commission and the United Kingdom are deliberating a ban on ivory sales in their jurisdictions after a public consultation process soliciting input from the public last December. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, has repeatedly called for bans on the ivory trade.
• A report released in December 2017 estimated that between 2011 and 2016, a total of 2.42 tons of ivory were seized as illegal exports from Japan, most of them destined for China. The same report also identified that an equivalent of 10 tons of ivory tusks were being newly registered in a Japanese government system that regulates domestic sale of ivory every year, despite a global ivory trade ban; the origin of this ivory remains unclear.

ENDS

Media contact: Wendy Higgins: whiggins@hsi.org, +44 (0)7989 972 423

Brussels—Large carnivores are charismatic species. Wolves, bears, lynxes and wolverines are part of the European natural environment , but in highly populated continents like Europe, their conservation requires integration with human activities.

A lack of natural prey, habitat loss and unprotected livestock contribute to attacks from large carnivores on domestic animals. Conflict takes place due to wild prey competition with humans and a fear from people to coexist with a large predator. Yet, achieving coexistence with large carnivores is possible.

Hosted by Sirpa Pietikäinen MEP (EPP), President of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals, with MEPs Anja Hazekamp (GUE/NGL) and Pascal Durand (Greens/EFA), an event at the European Parliament today focused on this hot topic. Co-organised by Humane Society International/Europe, Eurogroup for Animals and Luonto-Liiton susiryhmä, the event follows a recent study published by the European Parliament’s Committee on Petitions, entitled ‘Large Carnivore Management Plans of Protection: Best Practices in EU Member States’. The study presents the regulatory measures and effective techniques that have been developed and tested to minimise wildlife conflicts and help humans to successfully coexist with large carnivores in the long term.

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During today’s event, experts from across the EU came together to discuss the various possible solutions and strategies, which can be adopted, to achieve long term coexistence with large carnivores for the benefit of people and wildlife conservation.

Dr Joanna Swabe, Humane Society International/Europe’s Senior Director of Public Affairs, said “it is vital to accept that we share our living environment with wolves, bears and other large carnivores, and recognise that humans pose a greater threat to these animals than the other way round. In some regions, large carnivore populations are finally recovering after being persecuted, killed or even completely eradicated in the past. Amongst other things, habitat loss and lack of natural prey can bring species, such as wolves, into conflict with humans as they may prey on unprotected farm animals. While such losses are certainly devastating for farmers, killing protected predator species is neither a desirable or sustainable solution. We need to develop better ways to effectively mitigate such wildlife conflicts and learn to coexist with large carnivores in the long term.”

Ilaria Di Silvestre, Wildlife Programme Leader at Eurogroup for Animals, stated that “In recent years, numerous EU-funded projects have shown that coexistence with large carnivores is possible and has already been achieved in many regions in the EU. We welcome the newly published study by the European Parliament’s Committee on Petitions as it presents the regulatory measures and effective techniques that have been developed and tested to minimise conflicts. Now Member States should promote the methods that are demonstrated to have a high success rate and facilitate their implementation, instead of calling for more derogations to the Habitats Directive ”.

“Instead of hunting, coexisting with local wildlife in rural communities will create significant economic opportunities in the form of sustainable wildlife-based ecotourism and at the same time greatly improve the health of the ecosystems”, says Francisco Sánchez Molina, Luonto-Liiton susiryhmä International Campaign Coordinator.

ENDS

Contacts

Ilaria Di Silvestre, Wildlife Programme Leader, Eurogroup for Animals, T: +32 (0)2 740 0824 Email i.disilvestre@eurogroupforanimals.org

Dr Joanna Swabe, jswabe@hsi.org

Background information:

• Large carnivore species, such as wolves, bears, lynx, jackals and wolverines, are listed in the Annexes of the EU Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC).
• Since the establishment of LIFE, the EU funding programme for the Environment, in 1992, more than 40 projects on coexistence with large carnivores have been carried out with EU funding. These projects have played a valuable role in testing and implementing ways of managing and minimising conflicts between large carnivores and humans.
• The installation of electric fences or fladry to protect herds from predator attacks, the use of livestock guarding dogs, the deployment of intervention units and experts on predators are some of the solutions that have been implemented and demonstrated to have a high success rate in minimising predator attacks on herds.
• The European Commission has consistently rejected demands to review the EU Habitats Directive. Such calls have nonetheless been recently repeated by MEPs in an own-initiative report on The current situation and future prospects for the sheep and goat sectors in the EU, which was recently adopted by the AGRI Committee and a Parliamentary report on the EU Action Plan for nature, people and economy.

Odisha—Humane Society International/India is offering a reward of 50,000 INR for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the persons involved in harassing and abusing turtles at Rushikulya beach, along Ganjam Coast, Orrisa.

The case: On February 27th, HSI/India was alerted to a tweet by Siba Mohanty, deputy resident editor for The New Indian Express, Odisha, about unidentified individuals disturbing and manhandling Olive Ridley sea turtles. The turtles migrate to the coasts of Odisha to nest.

The Olive Ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) is a protected species under the Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. This makes hunting or harming the turtles or their eggs illegal and a punishable offence. The turtles travel a great distance to lay eggs, and anthropogenic disturbances along the beaches damage and disturb their nesting habitats. Disturbing them especially while they are nesting is detrimental for their survival and for the survival of their hatchlings.

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Sumanth Bindumadhav, wildlife campaign manager for HSI/India, said, “These images show the sorry state of unregulated tourism in our country. The mass nesting of Olive Ridley turtles is an event unique to the state of Odisha. Most tourists are in awe of the amazing spectacle of seeing these seafaring turtles up close; others exploit the opportunity to inflict pain and harm as is visible in the photos. The Odisha Forest Department has several initiatives for the protection and conservation of these turtles, and we sincerely hope they join hands with the Odisha Tourism Department to implement a community-owned, sustainable and ethical model of eco-tourism.”

HSI/India has been working to create awareness in schools and communities, along with a training and orientation programme on topics such as identifying vulnerable nests, relocating the eggs safely and other topics. Through direct intervention, our team has saved the lives of hundreds of Olive Ridley hatchlings, and along with forest officials and local volunteers, we work to ensure these turtles have a safe place to lay eggs, away from predators and human influence. Donate now to protect turtles and other animals.

Media Contact: Vidhi Malla | vmalla@hsi.org | +91 9560103078

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SEOUL—Straight from the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, U.S. freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy joined the animal rescue team from Humane Society International at a dog meat farm in Gyeonggi-do province where the charity is working to save the more than 80 dogs from slaughter.

Gus, who recently was featured in an #EndDogMeat PSA video for Humane Society International alongside fellow Olympians Meagan Duhamel and Lindsey Jacobellis, hopes his dog farm visit will help shine a spotlight on the cruelty. Gus said: “Coming to this dog meat farm with HSI has been a real eye-opener. It’s so upsetting to see these dogs in such appalling conditions, many of them crammed four or five to a tiny cage with absolutely no room to move. And yet despite their inhumane conditions, they remain gentle and eager for attention.

HSI has worked in South Korea for the past three years and so far permanently closed down 10 dog meat farms. The more than 1,200 dogs rescued to date are now in new homes in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The farm closures are a key part of the charity’s broader strategy to demonstrate to the government a working model to phase out the estimated 17,000 dog meat farms across the country. Participating dog farmers enter a legally binding contract with HSI to close their farms. They work cooperatively with the charity to transition to humane livelihoods such as water delivery or chili pepper farming. The Gyeonggi-do farmer, who has raised dogs for human consumption for 10 years, will now grow mushrooms.

This is the second time Kenworthy has worked with HSI to help dogs. In 2014, the Olympian rescued street dogs during the Sochi Games in Russia and, with HSI’s help, he returned home with them. Now, following the Pyeongchang Games, Kenworthy plans to repeat the mercy mission by adopting a pup into his family.

Kenworthy said: “For our little guy, Beemo, the dog meat trade ordeal is over, but it’s horrifying to think that so many dogs just like them are still suffering this fate across South Korea. I’m proud to highlight Humane Society International’s amazing dog farm closure campaign because it’s a very practical solution to a highly emotive problem. They’re showing how you can help dog farmers like Mr. Kim and these beautiful dogs at the same time, and I think that’s the key to ending this trade for good.”

Although most people in South Korea don’t regularly eat dogs and the practice is increasingly unpopular with young Koreans, an estimated 2.5 million dogs of all types are still bred and killed each year for human consumption. Most are killed by electrocution or hanging at one year old, and breeding dogs spend their entire lives in barren metal cages producing endless litters of puppies. Alongside Korean jindos and tosas, HSI has found beagles, huskies, golden retrievers, Chihuahuas, Afghan hounds and Saint Bernards on the dog meat farms it has closed down.

HSI Korea’s Nara Kim says that it’s a mistake to excuse dog meat by calling it culture: “It’s very puzzling to me that anyone should say eating dogs is okay because it’s cultural. If culture is what defines a nation, it would be very shaming for ours to be defined by animal cruelty. While eating dogs may be a custom for some of the older generation, most Koreans, young and old, have nothing to do with this brutal trade. It’s time for South Korea to consign dog meat farming to the history books.”

Facts:

• President Moon Jae-in recently adopted a dog named Tory who was said to be rescued from a dog meat farm.
• Up to 80 percent of dog meat consumption is during the hottest days of summer, called Bok Nal. Dog meat is usually made into a soup called bosintang. Small dogs can also be made into a herbal drink called Gaesoju.
• The dog meat industry is in legal limbo in South Korea, neither legal nor illegal. Many provisions of the Animal Protection Act are routinely breached, such as the ban on killing animals in a brutal way including hanging by the neck, killing in public areas or in front of other animals of the same species.
• An estimated 30 million dogs are brutally killed and eaten each year in parts of Asia. Hong Kong, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore have laws in place prohibiting the trade, on grounds of both animal welfare and human health/ disease control.

For more information, visit hsi.org/dogmeat

Download high resolution images and b-roll footage here.

Media contacts: United Kingdom: Wendy Higgins: whiggins@hsi.org, +44 (0)7989 972 423 South Korea: Nara Kim, nkim@hsi.org United States: Kirsten Peek, kpeek@humanesociety.org, 301.548.7793