South African Press Association, Johannesburg May 10, 2002
Marchers Call for End to Dog Meat Trade
Pretoria - About 40 animal activists on Friday marched outside the South
Korean embassy in Pretoria protesting against that country's dog and cat
meat trade.
Picketing outside the embassy's George Storrar Drive entrance, the group,
members of the World Animal Watch Task Team, waved banners and chanted
slogans denouncing cruelty to animals.
Leading the protesters, the organisation's spokeswoman Lillian Steeg said
abuse perpetrated against animals, especially dogs and cats, in South Korea
was rife despite laws prohibiting such action.
"We want South African citizens to be aware that dogs in that country are
used for dragging farming equipment, slaughtered for meat consumption and at
times blow torched until they die for this purpose."
She called on the South Korean government to enforce its legislation which
prohibits mistreatment of animals, and which states that no one shall kill
animals in a cruel or abhorrent manner.
"Our call is legitimate and (we) only ask for the law that already exists to
be properly enforced, and if necessary additional legislation be put in
place to prohibit the torture as well as consumption of dog and cat meat,"
said Steeg.
The group presented a memorandum to an official at the embassy.
In the document the organisation demanded the immediate closure of dog and
meat markets where animals were bred for slaughter, and that the licensing
of dog or cat meat be retracted irrespective of whether this meat is
referred to by any name.
Steeg said similar demonstrations took place on Friday in Europe and
America.
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Kim Bartlett, Publisher of ANIMAL PEOPLE Newspaper
Website:
Mailing address: P.O. Box 960, Clinton WA 98236 U.S.A.
