Pigs Buried Alive

The South Korean government buries more than one million animals alive to contain outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.


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In response to South Korea’s worst outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), the government has ordered the killing of more than one million pigs—plus hundreds of thousands of cattle, goats, and deer—over the past 40 days. While a cheaper, simpler vaccine could prevent FMD from spreading, the government so far refuses to vaccinate the animals and has lost close to seven percent of its livestock. South Korea is a member of The World Organization for Animal Health, but many animal-rights groups have come forward stating that these recent events are against the organizations’ guidelines. To help stop the slaughter, people can send a letter to ambassador Han Duk-soo.