The images in the following program are very sensitive and may be as disturbing to viewers as they were to us. However, we have to show the truth about cruelty to animals.

Considerate viewers, this is the Stop Animal Cruelty series on Supreme Master Television. On today’s program we’ll examine the unconscionable, abusive treatment of dogs and cats in Asia in connection with the ruthless meat and fur trade in these animals which is fueled by human greed. We also look at some of the ways our homeless feline and canine friends experience cruelty in the region.

Many stray animals in Asia face a horrible fate. It is important to note that the terrible way these homeless ones are treated is not unique to this area or any one Asian country, but abuse occurs around the world. The sad tale begins with the lack of stewardship by some people of the faithful animal companions under their care.

In many countries animals on the streets have been abandoned by their former caregivers. Large numbers of them are not neutered or spayed, resulting in more stray puppies and kittens being born. Where do these animals go? Nel van Amerongen of the Netherlands, a vegan and the communications director for ACTAsia for Animals, a UK-based animal welfare organization, gives us further perspective.

Stray animals are a very common problem in Asia. Thousands of animals, cats, roam the streets. They are often abandoned pets and they are involved in accidents and they are occasionally being culled by the government whenever it suits them. For example, when there is a major event and they want to have a better appearance of their city, then sometimes animals are culled massively just to “clean up” the streets.

The usual response when there is an outbreak of rabies in China is that dogs are culled massively. This has been going on for about 20 years and it causes enormous suffering for dogs.

Culling is the systematic killing of animals, typically for so-called “population control” or “public health measures.” Culling has no place in our modern world, yet around the globe it still occurs in many countries. A humane, sensible and effective solution is a spay and neuter and immunization program for street animals.

One of the biggest recent canine massacres took place in 2006, when dogs in China were blamed for several fatal cases of rabies. Whether or not they had already been inoculated against the disease, nearly 55,000 dogs in the streets across the country lost their lives to supposedly control the spread of rabies. In May 2009, blood filled the streets of Hanzhong, a city in Shaanxi province in central China, as approximately 20,000 canines were again senselessly killed in the name of rabies control.

Normal people go out in the streets with poles and sticks and in a sort of panic reaction, they start to beat and cull every dog which is in sight. Whether it’s a pet, whether it’s a vaccinated dog or whether it’s a stray dog, they’re just literally clubbed to death. This causes tens of thousands of dogs to be beaten to death every year.

In Formosa (Taiwan), as in other places, thousands of dogs are taken from the streets to so-called dog pounds where they find themselves in a much worse situation. The pounds do not provide any veterinary care and lack basic sanitation. Food and water for the animals is minimal or non-existent.

Dogs in Formosa (Taiwan) are literally being treated like trash, in the sense that they are collected by garbage collectors and they are transported in garbage trucks. And then they are put into tiny cages, often at garbage dumps or in remote areas near cemeteries or slaughterhouses, or something alike.

The waste management department on the island doesn’t have proper facilities to shelter the canines, so regardless of their condition, they are locked up together in very small cages. The extremely limited amount of space given prevents them from moving around or even properly lying down.

Food and water are scarce and if available are filthy and contaminated. The sick and diseased are left in cages to die in agony and distress without medical attention or treatment. Attempting to find any of the dogs a new home is simply not a consideration. From 1998 to 2008 a staggering 900,000 stray dogs were sent to these pounds.

Recently, the parliament of Formosa (Taiwan) has adopted a resolution which contains that, first of all the collection of the dogs will be put back to animal protection agencies in 2010. So it will not be done by garbage collectors anymore. (Okay) The illegal pounds that also existed there, are being closed down immediately.

And also there will be a code of conduct for shelter management being drawn up in three months time. So that’s a big result and a great success, but still we feel we can’t sit back and wait because currently there are still tens of thousands of dogs living in these garbage dumps.

When Stop Animal Cruelty returns, we’ll focus on how dogs and cats in Asia are savagely exploited for their meat and fur. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television.

There are these horrifying stories where they want to improve the taste of meat just by beating the animals. Unfortunately, it is a common practice.

This is the Stop Animal Cruelty series on Supreme Master Television. Although the slaughter of dogs and cats for meat has been outlawed in places such as Formosa (Taiwan), the Philippines and Korea, the heartless consumption of their flesh continues in cities and rural areas. It is estimated that 16 million dogs are killed annually for meat in Asia.

The animal suffering which is attached to these industries is enormous. Cats and dogs are being farmed for their fur and for their meat and, they are also being stolen. There is currently a sort of underground chain of criminals who will just go into, various provinces, go into townships and collect animals, which are companion animals or pets, and use them for food or for fur.

You can imagine that this is causing sadness for animals as well as for people. And you also have to acknowledge that the ways these animals are captured, are being kept, are being skinned, is not a humane way of dealing with them.

Aside from stealing animal companions, these ruthless traders also operate breeding farms, where dogs and cats are raised in tiny, sordid cages without adequate food, water or care. They are sold to dealers who auction them off for slaughter. In China, some breed the gentle, giant St. Bernard, dog known for its rescue work, with local dogs as the pups grow fast and can be sold at the tender age of four months for meat.

Homeless dogs and cats wandering on city streets are prone to being rounded up and sold to those who will murder them for their flesh as well. In some areas dogs are shockingly hung or chained in front of restaurants waiting to be purchased and slaughtered on the spot for their flesh.

In Korea, dogs and cats that are killed for meat endure prolonged, painful deaths. One method used is that the canine is choked to death and then burned with a blowtorch. There is a senseless belief that making dogs experience high levels of fear and stress prior to their killing enhances their meat’s taste. Thus the victim is purposely strangled in front of other dogs. Dogs may be horrifically hacked into pieces for stews and cats may be sickeningly blended to make “cat juice.”

Another outrageously cruel business arising from the dog and cat trade is fur production. The non-profit animal welfare group the Humane Society of the United States estimates that annually two million innocent felines and canines are bludgeoned, hanged, strangled with wire nooses, or sliced open to bleed to death so that their fur can be turned into coats, accessories such as gloves and hats, or fur-trimmed products like toys. In all cases the fur can be easily replaced with humane synthetic materials.

Dogs and cats bred for fur in China are often raised in frigid warehouses in the northern part of the country, where the freezing climate forces the animals to grow a thicker and thus more profitable coat. The lives of approximately 24 cats or 12 dogs are tragically ended to produce a single fur coat. These products are deliberately mislabeled as fur from other species and placed on the international market where they are sold to unsuspecting customers in retail stores at high prices.

Of course, no amount of money can undo the unfathomable cruelty inflicted on the animals or bring back their lives. Some of the misleading labels used for cat fur are “katzenfelle” and “goyangi,” and dog fur may be called “gae-wolf,” “goupee” or “sobaki.”

Animal cruelty only exists because we allow it to. As an individual and as a consumer you have the power and the responsibility to end animal suffering. You can treat animals with respect yourself and carry out that message. But also you can adjust your personal lifestyle and demand that there is no cruelty involved in the way you are living.

So avoid eating meat, avoid using fur, and avoid using products which are tested on animals. Don’t visit attractions with animals. And if you have a pet, or you want a pet, don’t support the pet trade industry, and go to the local shelter. These are things which you can do yourselves. You can also become even more active and support campaigns which other organizations are initiating, or volunteer at a local organization, at a shelter or something.

Thankfully, due to a growing awareness in Asia and the ongoing efforts of animal lovers and advocates worldwide, law enforcement efforts against animal cruelty are rising and legislation is being drafted to better protect animals.

Things are changing all around the world, and also in China and within Asia things are getting better. More and more people are concerned about animals, whether it’s animal protectionists, but also people like you and me, who have animals in their surroundings and do notice that animals are more than just a tool or just something to gain profit from.

We give our hero’s salute to animal protection groups such as ACTAsia and others around the world for their benevolent hearts and dedication to providing a voice for the friendly, noble dogs, cats and other wonderful animal co-inhabitants that share our precious planet.

Thank you very much, Supreme Master TV, for providing us literally a channel to convey the message of compassion towards animals. Thank you.

Be veg, go green and save our planet.

For more details on ACTAsia for Animals, please visit www.ActAsia.org

Thank you, caring viewers, for joining us for this edition of the Stop Animal Cruelty series. Coming up next is Enlightening Entertainment, after Noteworthy News. May all be inspired by Heaven’s supreme love and kindness.