KUALA LUMPUR: Animal rights activists across Southeast Asia have called on their respective governments to end dog-fighting after 8 South Korean nationals were arrested in the Philippines after running an illegal dog fighting ring in the country. Police said on Sunday they had rescued some 300 pitbulls. “It is wrong and disgusting that people still go and see this kind of violence and cruelty,” said Malaysia-based animal advocate Derat Malaki. He told Bikyamasr.com that “the time had come to end dog fighting and this once and for all.” The suspects were arrested Friday during the raid on their hideout in San Pablo City in Laguna province, 75 kilometers south of Manila, according to Superintendent Ferdinand De Castro, the provincial police commander. De Castro said a total of 278 dogs were recovered from the facility, but 17 of them died due to various injuries, including ripped ears and tongues. The suspects were being detained at the Laguna police headquarters pending the filing of criminal charges against them. Officers of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society, who are helping the police in caring for the rescued animals, said many of the dogs were not properly fed and sheltered, and showed scars and wounds from recent fights. “It is just sad to witness on a daily basis what animal righting does to living creatures,” Uman Klarina, a dog shelter volunteer in Manila, told Bikyamasr.com.
