120 Dogs Rescued From South Korean Meat Trade Injured Or Killed In Catastrophic Fire

Jun 13, 2023

Jindo Love Rescue in South Korea uses its funds to save dogs from the meat trade and send them to loving homes. Of the 120 dogs in their care, several were preparing to fly to their forever families. However, a sudden burst of flames ruined the dogs’ happy endings.

The organization faced a fire at their foster center, causing the dogs to die, run away, or suffer severe injuries. The volunteers are calling it "a worst-case nightmare scenario for anyone involved in rescue." But they’re still doing everything they can to help the survivors and rebuild the foster center.

At least 20 dogs at Jindo Love Rescue died in the fire, and many of them ran away. Right now, only 60 living dogs are accounted for. One of the dogs that passed away was Pobee, who was scheduled to fly to his adopters in the United States that day. Some of the other victims also had flights coming up that they’ll now never make.

A local kill shelter temporarily housed most of the survivors but didn't have enough space to keep them all long-term. Now, foster homes and a dog training facility have stepped up to care for some of the dogs.

"We’re so impressed with how resilient these dogs are. Many wouldn't eat at the kill shelter but getting them into a home environment or our boarding facility has made all the difference. These less stressful environments are crucial to letting them heal and rest," Jindo Love Rescue wrote on Facebook.

The rescue is searching for the missing dogs with the help of a drone. Sadly, several of the found dogs hadn't survived, but the volunteers are hopeful that some are still out there. Most of these dogs were saved from the dog meat trade, so they’ve already been through so much. They don't deserve to deal with more tragedies like this.

The dogs can't stay in their temporary homes forever. The rescue is determined to rebuild their facility, but it will cost at least $150,000 to repair the damage. On top of that, they still need funds to care for the dogs’ supplies and vet care. Many of the dogs were burned in the fire and are receiving extensive medical treatment.

"We’re beyond heartbroken and desperately searching for survivors who have already been through so much in their lives," said Patti Kim, president of Jindo Love Rescue. "We’re blessed to have such wonderful supporters who are already chipping in, but we have a long way to go to care for the survivors and rebuild."

The cause of the fire isn't clear, but the damage has been done. Jindo Love Rescue is begging for donations during these difficult times. Their partner, In Defense of Animals, is helping them rebuild the property so both organizations can keep rescuing dogs from the horrific meat trade.

If you’d like to help the rescue during this tragedy, you can donate to their fundraiser here.

Featured Image: Facebook