Date
November 29, 2006
Contact
Kristie Phelps
(757) 423-0093
Elliot M. Katz, DVM
(415) 388-9641, ext. 225
In Defense of Animals
3010 Kerner Blvd
San Rafael
CA 94901
IDA is an international, California-based animal advocacy organization dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by defending their rights, welfare and habitats.
IDA Calls on South Korea to End Massacre of Cats and Dogs in the Wake of Avian Flu Outbreak
Scientific experts say slaughter will not prevent spread of disease
San Rafael, Calif.—Following an outbreak of avian flu (the H5N1 virus) at a chicken farm in the South Korean city of Iksan last week, news media report Agriculture Ministry officials are now in the process of slaughtering hundreds of thousands of animals within range of the outbreak site, including chickens, pigs, cats, dogs and any other non-human species. In response, In Defense of Animals today fired off a letter to Park, Han-soo, South Korea’s Minister of Agriculture, calling for an immediate end to the massacre.
While it is common for countries to cruelly destroy and burn chickens and their eggs following an eruption of avian flu to avoid an epidemic, the group points out that killing every cat and dog in the area seems even more pointlessly cruel given that disease experts say there is no scientific evidence that humans can contract the virus from mammalian species. According to an official at the South Korean Agriculture Ministry speaking on conditions of anonymity, cats and dogs were also slaughtered along with 5.3 million birds during South Korea’s last avian flu outbreak three years ago.
Since avian flu emerged in 2003, the disease has claimed 153 human lives worldwide, the majority of whom were infected by direct contact with birds carrying the virus. Yet experts believe that the virus has the potential to mutate into a form that could spread quickly among the human population through casual contact (e.g., a handshake) and ultimately kill millions of people.
Even so, the South Korean government has no cause to massacre cats and dogs when there is no scientific proof that they can pass the disease to humans. “One of the key reasons avian flu has spread from wild birds to domestic poultry is that overcrowding and other unnatural conditions on modern-day farms have weakened their immune systems,” said Dr. Elliot M. Katz, DVM, IDA president. “This latest outbreak urgently highlights the need for serious animal agriculture reform.”
A copy of the letter is available upon request.