Nearly 150 dogs and puppies have been saved from a dog meat farm in South Korea.
According to charity the Humane Society International, more than one million dogs are killed each summer for the Bok Nal festival.
Dog meat is not eaten all year round but is a special seasonal dish for the festival.
During the three-day celebration, which takes place on the cusp of July and August, the dogs will be eaten in a soup.
Many of the rescued dogs have been flown to the US where they will be rehomed and given a chance at a new life.
The farmer asked the HSI to help close his farm.
It is the ninth dog meat farm the charity has shut down since 2014. Many farmers want to get out of the trade.
Nara Kim, HSI’s South Korea dog meat campaigner, said: “With every dog meat farm we close, we are not only saving the lives of these poor, terrified dogs caught up in this cruel trade, but we are also presenting a successful blueprint for change that we hope the government will follow. Eating dog is a dying practice in Korea, especially among young people.
“However, the Bok Nal days of summer still lead many to eat dog meat soup in the mistaken belief that it will invigorate the blood in the sluggish heat.
“Our campaign shows them the disgusting conditions in which the dogs are forced to live in their own faeces, and their pitiful suffering, and it is changing hearts and minds.”
