61 Starving Dogs Trapped In Tiny Cages Rescued On The Way To Slaughterhouse

A minivan carrying dozens of dogs crammed in six tiny cages was intercepted on its way to a slaughterhouse in Cambodia.

In a first government-led interception on Feb. 21, a total of 61 dogs were rescued while being transported to a slaughterhouse in Kampong Cham, Cambodia for the meat trade, according to a news release from the animal welfare association Four Paws.

The minivan carrying the canines was stopped by the provincial Department of Agriculture in collaboration with the Provincial Commissioner of Police as it was leaving the province of Siem Reap, where the dog meat trade has been banned since July 2020.

The police arrested the van's driver and called the animal welfare groups for the rescue operation. The dogs were removed from the tiny cages and were then released to a smallholding area where they could move freely.

"Dogs were piled up like luggage bags over one another in tiny cages. It was hard to tell which foot belonged to which animal, as they were all intertwined in what seemed to be one desperate ball of animals," Four Paws described the horrific sight in the minivan.

"Most of them are young dogs and showed signs of severe heat exhaustion and dehydration. It is unclear how long these dogs were in the van or at a holding area before being loaded onto the vehicle. All were extremely hungry, most likely not having eaten in days," Dr. Katherine Polak, veterinarian and head of Stray Animal Care - Southeast Asia at Four Paws, said.

The rescued canines include both stray dogs and stolen pets. They are now under the care of Four Paws, Paw Patrol Cambodia and Animal Rescue Cambodia.

"One dog was in critical condition and not able to stand up but at least he was able to lick food from a plate while lying down," the welfare group wrote on their Facebook page.

Although the province of Siem Reap has banned the slaughter and trade of dog meat, it is still a hot spot for large-scale dog meat sourcing and trafficking of dogs to the eastern part of the country.

It is estimated that 3,750 live dogs are trafficked out of Siem Reap every month to slaughterhouses in other provinces where they are "drowned, stabbed, or hanged, stripped of their fur" and sold to dog meat restaurants, according to an investigation by Four Paws.