Despite the fact that eating, selling and buying dog meat is illegal in Taiwan, an underground trade persists.

Often rooted in rural Taiwan where old habits evidently die hard, dogs (and sometimes cats) are slaughtered illegally with the meat winding up being sold to local eateries or to the general public.

One such dog slaughterhouse was busted late last week, with the details wholly guaranteed to depress and ruin anyone’s day.

Wu-Huan-Ran-dog-slaughterhouse-yunlin-county

Fifty nine year old Wu Huan-Ran (吳煥然) (photo right) lives in Yuan Chang Village (元長鄉) down in southern Taiwan’s Yunlin County.

Some time ago Wu came under suspicion for illegally trading in dog meat and the The Animal Disease Control Center launched an undercover investigation.

Two months later they were convinced something was up and, posing as a dog meat customer, busted Wu in the act of selling dog meat.

In the subsequent raid of his property, the Animal Disease Control Center found 435 dried dog penises and matching testicles and 12 recently boiled dog corpses.

dog-penises-Wu-Huan-Ran-dog-slaughterhouse-yunlin

Two dogs Wu hadn’t killed yet were found alive and subsequently rescued. A number of collars were also found, indicating that a significant number of the dogs killed were most likely pets.

Following their investigation, authorities estimate that Wu has slaughtered around one thousand animals at the property.

Under interrogation Wu revealed that he worked with local dog catchers and paid $67 TWD ($2.32 USD) per kilo for the dogs they brought to him. After killing and butchering the dogs, he then sold the meat for $233 TWD ($8 USD) a kilo.

Wu also provided the authorities with the gruesome of how he slaughtered the dogs. Wu told authorities that he bashed the dogs until they fainted, cut their throats and then boiled the bodies so that the fur came off.

He then stored the carcasses waiting for buyers.

Wu saved the penises and testicles of his victims but why isn’t immediately clear. Wu has stated that “nobody buys” the organs, begging the question of why he had so many under cold storage then.

Local Taiwanese media have speculated that Wu probably used the dried penises and testicles as a male potency additive to herbal wine.

As a dog-owner human being I don’t really know what to say when I read stories like this. I know animals are killed all over the world for consumption every day but this just takes it too far.

We have so many food choices to pick from, the fuck do you have to go and eat dog meat for? And if you are going to eat it – do you have to be so utterly barbaric about it?

Wu now faces a maximum punishment of one year in jail and a fine up to a maximum of $1 million TWD ($34,500 USD), but wanna know the real kick in the nuts (no pun intended) is here?

Wu was convicted of killing dogs and selling dog meat under the Animal Protection Act back in 2006.

He obviously learnt his lesson and received an effective punishment the first time around…


Sources: Apple Daily and the Taipei Times




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