Distressing footage shows captive dogs howling as they watch fellow canines being butchered, boiled and barbecued for a wedding in Cambodia.
In the disturbing video, the animals are seen caged up at a slaughterhouse in Siem Reap with dead dogs left just metres away from them ready to be cooked.
The live dogs howl and bark as they’re forced to watch their fellow animals being stirred around and boiled in a large cauldron.
In another clip, a dog is seen being barbecued on an open flame while a man shaves off its hair with a knife.
Sound of Animals CEO Michael Chour, 48, who filmed the footage, said: ‘These dogs were in a slaughterhouse, so death was their fate had they not been rescued.
‘The dogs are now ready to be adopted from our shelter in Thailand. One of them turned out to be pregnant and gave birth to five puppies.
‘It was a bittersweet feeling rescuing these dogs but having to leave the rest. But it’s our priority to bridge the gap between us and the butchers.
Butchered dogs are left just metres away from cages filled with other canines being prepared for slaughter
The terrified pups howl as they watch the animals being cooked on open flames in front of them
‘The barbecue video was from inside a village in Osmach, where a family was barbecuing a dog carcass for a wedding.
‘This is very common in Cambodia, but that doesn’t make it any easier to see. For me, dogs are like children, it’s very hard to accept.’
Mr Chour, originally from Paris but now based in Thailand, relocated to Asia to join the fight against the dog meat trade in 2005.
Michael Chour, 48, holds a dog rescued from the slaughterhouse in the city of Siem Reap
While the industry has drawn global attention in China, it is lesser known in Cambodia – despite it still being legal to slaughter dogs and sell their meat in the country.
Mr Chour said his goal is to shut the trade down – but for now he must tread carefully and accept it is a deeply rooted tradition.
The 48-year-old said: ‘Our method is to negotiate our way in and out the slaughterhouse in a way that will allow us to return.’
Eating dog meat is a deeply rooted tradition in the Southeast Asian nation. Pictured: Dog meat served at a wedding
‘We try not to judge a culture that is part of their upbringing.
‘Many of the butchers are third generation in this trade, and don’t know any different.
‘For this reason, we refrain from judgment.’