TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Dec. 12, 2017) - Following its 10th closure of a South Korean dog meat farm, Humane Society International is transporting more than 170 severely neglected dogs to North America and the United Kingdom. Forty six of the dogs have arrived at Pearson Airport in Toronto and HSI/Canada is now moving them to partner shelters in Quebec. Another four of the rescued dogs will arrive tomorrow and are being placed with an Ontario rescue group.

Rebecca Aldworth, executive director of HSI/Canada, said: "This horrific dog meat farm is one of the worst HSI has ever seen and I am thrilled we are shutting it down for good. More than 170 dogs and puppies were intensively confined in cramped, filthy, barren wire cages positioned over months of accumulated waste. The dogs had no protection from the freezing temperatures. Many had open sores on their bodies and were severely emaciated because they received little food or water. These dogs have been spared a lifetime of misery and a brutal death at the hands of the dog meat trade. This holiday season, we are asking Canadians to open their hearts and their homes to these dogs and to stand with Humane Society International as we work to end the cruel dog meat trade forever."

Eric Margolis, whose compassion and generosity helped make this rescue possible, said, "I was heartbroken to see the suffering these dogs endured on this horrific dog meat farm. As an animal lover, I felt compelled to do everything in my power to save them from the terrible conditions they were living in, and the gruesome fate that awaited them. It is wonderful to know that these dogs will soon be safe at last in loving homes."

The dog meat trade is most widespread in China, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Viet Nam, Cambodia and Nagaland in northern India. It is well-organized, with dogs being

stolen or taken from the streets, transported over long distances, housed in gruesome conditions and brutally slaughtered. In South Korea, an estimated 2.5 million dogs are slaughtered for the meat trade annually.

As a part of our campaign to ban the dog meat trade in South Korea, HSI works to transition dog meat farmers to more humane industries and transports the dogs to regions where they can receive care and rehabilitation.

A special thank you to Eric Margolis, Etienne Borgeat and Friends of HSI for their tremendous contributions to this rescue, Sharp Transportation for donating space for the temporary shelter and Kane Veterinary Supplies for donating dog food. We are deeply grateful to our temporary shelter workers and volunteers and to the Montreal SPCA, the Laurentides-Labelle SPCA, the Arthabaska Society for the Protection of Animals, and Carter's Forever Rescue and Sanctuary in Muskoka for their kind assistance in caring for and placing these deserving dogs in forever homes.

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Humane Society International/Canada is a leading force for animal protection, with active programs in companion animals, wildlife and habitat protection, marine mammal preservation, farm animal welfare and animals in research. HSI/Canada is proud to be a part of Humane Society International which, together with its partners, constitutes one of the world's largest animal protection organizations. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty worldwide - on the web at www.hsicanada.ca