The dog meat trade in Cambodia has taken another serious hit.
Just two weeks after a truck carrying 61 dogs to slaughter was intercepted in the country's province of Siem Reap, animal rescuers have achieved another major victory: a Cambodian dog slaughterhouse opened in 1995 was shut down on March 4.
According to a release from FOUR PAWS, which orchestrated the shutdown, the slaughterhouse is likely responsible for over a million dogs' deaths and once boasted about drowning upwards of 200 dogs a day to provide meat for Cambodia's capital city, Phnom Penh.
As part of the shutdown, FOUR PAWS rescued the 16 dogs found at the slaughterhouse, dismantled the facility's wire cages, and demolished its drowning tanks.
"The slaughterhouse was by far one of the most shocking facilities our team had ever visited. When we discovered the two elevated cement water tanks, it was immediately clear to us that this slaughterhouse was designed for mass killing. Over the past 25 years, more than one million dogs have been drowned at the facility. The practice of drowning dogs causes immense pain and suffering and fails to conform to any international standards of humane euthanasia. The 16 dogs we found on-site were the last survivors of this horrific, antiquated practice that has no place in modern society," Dr. Katherine Polak, veterinarian and head of FOUR PAWS Stray Animal Care in Southeast Asia, said in a statement.
The slaughterhouse's owner has signed a contract assuring FOUR PAWS and the Cambodian government that he will never work in the dog meat trade again. In return for agreeing to the shutdown, the owner will receive assistance converting the slaughterhouse into a general goods shop and construction company.
All 16 of the dogs rescued from the facility will join the 61 canines saved from the van interception. FOUR PAWS' local partners — Animal Rescue Cambodia in Phnom Penh and Paw Patrol Cambodia in Siem Reap — are currently caring for the 77 animals and preparing them for adoption.
FOUR PAWS is working across Cambodia, Vietnam, and Indonesia to end the dog meat trade in those countries through educational work and cooperation with the authorities and tourism associations. Over the past year, Cambodia has made significant strides to ending the dog meat trade inside its borders, with Siem Reap becoming the first Cambodian province to ban dog meat sales and consumption in July 2020.
To learn more about FOUR PAWS and their work to save and protect animals worldwide, visit the organization's website.
Source: Read Full Article
