Olympic Skier Rescues 90 Dogs From South Korean Meat Farms As One Shuts Down

May 28, 2020 by apost team

Olympic-medal winner Gus Kenworthy is busy preparing for the 2022 Olympic games, but he surely has not forgotten how he brought home more than just a medal in the 2018 Winter Olympics.

After adopting two dogs he found near the Olympic Village in Sochi, Russia, Kenworthy decided to adopt more dogs after touring in South Korea.

Kenworth loves sports but, even more than that, animals. In 2014, this Olympian won a shiny silver medal for the US at the 2014 games in Russia. However, he really cranked out some headlines when he was at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea, and animal lovers everywhere celebrated with him.

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Kenworthy and his boyfriend Matt Wilkas took a tour of a dog meat farm while in South Korea and were horrified by what they saw.

As Kenworthy posted on his Instagram account, they saw that "dogs here are malnourished and physically abused, crammed into tiny wire-floored pens, and exposed to the freezing winter elements and scorching summer conditions. When it comes time to put one down it is done so in front of the other dogs by means of electrocution sometimes taking up to 20 agonizing minutes."

The couple worked with a farmer who had seen what he did wrong and the Humane Society International to transport all 90 dogs at this particular farm to rescues in the US and Canada.

They also adopted a pup named Birdie, after Kenworthy's previous dog Beemo (pictured above), who loved birds. They brought Birdie home, where she now lives a very comfortable and happy life.

As Kenworthy writes, his efforts only put a minor dent in the dog meat market. According to USA Today, about a million dogs are killed for their meat each year in South Korea, and 2.5 million are being housed in 17,000 dog farms across the country, often in poor conditions.

Kenworthy still hopes that his efforts will raise awareness for dogs suffering in dog meat farms across South Korea. Kenworthy wrote in his Instagram post: 

“Across the country there are 2.5 million dogs being raised for food in some of the most disturbing conditions imaginable. Yes, there is an argument to be made that eating dogs is a part of Korean culture and, while don't personally agree with it, I do agree that it's not my place to impose Western ideals on the people here. The way these animals are being treated, however, is completely inhumane and culture should never be a scapegoat for cruelty.”

What do you think of this Olympians second passion? Do you know of anyone else who has adopted so many dogs? Let us know your thoughts and be sure to pass this on to others as well!