Dogs saved from restaurant menus
About 80 dogs on the way to a slaughterhouse – and eventually restaurant menus - have been rescued in the northern Philippines.
The dogs, their snouts tied shut to prevent them from barking, were discovered in a van heading to the northern city of Baguio, where many people consider dog meat a delicacy, said police Chief Inspector Robert Mesa.
Police chased the van for 11 miles after the driver sped away on seeing a checkpoint.
Melchor Alipio, the Philippine representative of the London-based animal rights group Political Animal Lobby, said dog traders were increasingly emboldened to risk arrest because of profits from selling the dog meat.
He said dog traders were buying the animals for less than €1.50 each and selling them for up to seven times the amount.
Violators face a maximum two years in jail.
