LADY FREETHINKER EXTENDS 2019 EFFORTS TO STOP ASIAN DOG MEAT TRADE

Nonprofit media organization will continue sponsoring bus ads in cooperation with Save Korean Dogs

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, June 18, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Los Angeles-based animal rights organization Lady Freethinker has extended its dog meat trade awareness efforts in South Korea for an additional six months, citing the effectiveness of the program as well as the need for increased pressure in the city of Gimpo – dubbed “The Valley of Dog Meat in S. Korea.”

The campaign, in the form of ads on public transportation vehicles, urges citizens to keep dogs off their dinner plates and to treat them like family.

The ads were introduced on buses in the city of Gimpo at the end of 2018 and continued through 2019. Created in cooperation with Save Korean Dogs, an activist/rescue organization based in Gimpo, the ads have already reached thousands of people with messages translating to, “Dogs are not food but family,” and “Please do not eat me.”

Additionally, a petition effort by LFT and Save Korean Dogs calls for a ban on dog farms in the city. It has gained more than 60,000 signatures from around the world, and was delivered to Gimpo Mayor Ha-young Jung on Monday.

“We are pleased to continue sponsoring a campaign that has garnered major attention and sends the message every day that we should love dogs as family, not kill them for food,” said LFT Founder Nina Jackel. “As evidenced by the closure of dog meat markets across the nation, South Korea's citizens are no longer willing to tolerate the cruelty of the dog meat trade, and public perception is changing.”

The Gimpo ads are receiving positive feedback from local residents, staff at local grocery stores and pharmacies, and many others around the city, according to Save Korean Dogs Founder Nami Kim. Kim started the bus ad campaign 5 years ago, operating in multiple cities across S. Korea, and said, “I am grateful to all the sponsors for speaking for the dogs.”

BY THE NUMBERS

There are thousands of dog meat farms throughout South Korea, with some two million dogs slaughtered for human consumption each year. It is the only country in the world with large, factory-style dog farms, where the animals are housed in filthy conditions without adequate food, water or veterinary care.

During the slaughter process, many of the dogs are hung, torched alive, or electrocuted in the belief that torture will make the meat taste better or boost the virility of those who consume it.

In addition to posting ads, LFT works directly with rescuers on the ground across Asia, helping to provide food, warmth and veterinary care for dogs and cats rescued from the meat trade. LFT has supported the rescue of dozens of dogs from China’s Yulin Dog Meat Festival and contributed to the care of hundreds more.

The organization continues to collect petition signatures to ban the dog meat trade and will keep campaigning until the inhumane practice is a thing of the past.

Sign the Petition to Ban Dog and Cat Meat in China
Sign the Petition to Outlaw Dog and Cat Meat in South Korea

Notes to Media:
To download a link to the pictures, please click here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1goGX6zAbvMKRfn2-OZsVUiMYbCsPlPxO?usp=sharing

ABOUT LADY FREETHINKER: (www.ladyfreethinker.org)
Founded in 2013 by Nina Jackel, LFT is a Los Angeles-based non-profit media organization dedicated to exposing and stopping the suffering of animals, humans and planet. Through its undercover investigations, news reporting, and petitions, LFT aims to end cruelty and promote humane treatment of all species. LFT also provides direct aid to animals in desperate situations, bringing to light suffering that may otherwise go ignored. To make a donation or sign a petition, please visit https://.ladyfreethinker.org

Press contact: Zorianna Kit at zoriannakit@gmail.com or 323-697-5307

Zorianna Kit
Lady Freethinker
+1 310-923-0729
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