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| Dogs awaiting rescue. © HSI |
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By Carly Ikuma
Late on a humid night last month, Humane Society International representatives, local animal organizations and law enforcement officials stopped a truck on a road north of Manila. Acting on tips from informants in southern Luzon, the investigators were pretty certain they had found what they were looking for. As they opened the truck's back door, feeble whimpers started to fill the air.
"There was a terrible wave of smell from defecation, urination and death," said Andrew Plumbly of Network for Animals. "The dogs were absolutely terrified."
A Horrific Find
Packed tightly in to a wooden crate were more than 70 dogs, many of them already dead from suffocation and exhaustion. They were bound for Benguet Province in Northern Luzon, where an illegal dog meat trade is still active despite national laws against the industry.
"The temperature was at least 30˚C (86˚F), and all of the dogs' muzzles were tied shut," explained Plumbly. "Prior to being loaded on to the truck, these dogs were tied up and held for at least 12 hours with no food or water; they had been in the truck for at least five hours in the stifling heat."
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John Hughes of the Naguilian Animal Sanctuary assists a rescued dog too weak to lift her head. © HSI |
Some Doomed; Others Saved
According to Plumbly, these dogs begin their horrifying journey on the streets, where they were rounded up by men on motorbikes, thrown into sidecars, and taken to a warehouse to await transfer under the cover of darkness to rudimentary slaughter facilities in Benguet, about 200 miles north of Manila.
Many of these dogs were already sick and malnourished, and simply couldn't take the 17 hours of abusive treatment. Almost 30 of the dogs in the truck were already dead when officials came to the rescue.
"We managed to save 40 of the dogs, and they were spared an awful fate at the slaughterhouses," said Plumbly.
New Law Applies
The driver of the truck was a repeat offender and leader in the smuggling ring, so this was a big nab for animal activists and a serious blow to the industry.
"The impact of this will be significant," noted Plumbly. "Under the new law, this offender will go jail for a minimum of one year and be fined 5000 pesos (approximately $100) per dog. Many smugglers are ditching the trade altogether. It's not worth getting caught."
The surviving dogs were transferred to the John Hughes Foundation/Naguilian Animal Sanctuary for recovery and eventual adoption out to loving homes.
