Faster, Higher, Stronger. That’s the Olympic motto. What’s often left out, given all the subjective events at the Olympics, is “better.” That’s where Gus Kenworthy steps in and shows us all how to be better people. Gus is a freestyle skier who’s seen great success at the event, winning a silver medal at the Sochi games four years ago.
This time around the Olympics are in South Korea, and Gus is using his platform to highlight the horrific treatment of doggos in South Korea.
At the most recent Olympics, Gus came across a farm that had over 90 doggos trapped on a farm and ready to be butchered for meat. Using his connections with the Humane Society International, he managed to rescue all of them, getting them to safe places in the United States and Canada.
All except one, a little pupper he named Beemo, who he kept for himself. What a guy! Gus had this to say in an Instagram post when asked about his activities:
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.
Dog meat is known as Gaegogi, in South Korea, and it supposedly has healing qualities. This, however, has no scientific backing at all and merely is ancient hokum.
There are animal protection laws in South Korea. However, they do not have any protection for dogs and only protect against inhumane methods of execution. That hasn’t stopped people from killing dogs via methods as brutal as electrocution or battery.
While some in South Korea think the practice is fine so long as the dogs are killed in humane ways, others want the practice banned. The mood is changing, however, as 59 percent of Koreans under the age of 30 would not eat dog meat.
Before you start thinking Gus only did this the one time for publicity reasons, he has quite the track record as a friend to the animals. At the Sochi Olympics in Russia, the skier managed to save five stray dogs in between picking up his silver medal!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BN5ieITDh0S
So great work to both Gus and Koreans aged under 30. It’s great to see that the public mood is shifting away from the barbaric practice of killing doggos for meat, and it’s always good to see a champion who’s one on the field and off. Best of luck Gus!
