[Article by Veterinarian Myung Bo-Young]
Is humane slaughtering of dogs for human consumption possible?
People’s expectation that the new government should institute a phased ban on dog meat is increasing. Until now, the dog meat issue has been stalemated due to the countless opposing arguments and instead, there has even been a move toward legalization.
I assume many people have experienced the same, but when I was a child I witnessed a scene where adults were beating up a dog with a club in a vacant lot. As a child, I was very shocked and wondered how can this be happening. And the trauma from that day has lasted for a while.
I became a veterinarian and have been working in the animal shelter for many years. I wanted to improve the poor conditions of animal shelters but shelters operated by the city were a place where the lives and deaths of abandoned animals constantly crossed. I was able to help many lives but I also suffered for a while because of the psychological impact.
Last year, a veterinarian at an animal shelter in Taiwan committed suicide which sparked a global debate. It is such a tragedy but I think I can understand how she felt.
Government employees who worked on burying animals alive during the outbreak of foot and mouth disease have complained of serious mental suffering. Unless you are in an industry that deals with the death of animals all the time, there won’t be many who can cope with it.
Not only people in occupations who work with animals with different purposes, such as companion animals, livestock animals, and laboratory animals, but even the general public would suffer from mental stress if they were to encounter similar situations.
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