MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Police in the northern Philippines say they've rescued dozens of dogs that were on their way to a slaughterhouse.
Police Supt. Ronaldo Gayo says 60 dogs were found alive, but 12 others had died of suffocation by the time police found them inside a van. The dogs' snouts and feet were bound by plastic cord.
Gayo says the van's driver and his assistant were arrested and escorted to their destination — a slaughterhouse inside a sprawling pig and poultry farm in San Carlos township in Pangasinan province.
The slaughterhouse's owner and workers managed to flee when police arrived before midnight Wednesday.
Killing dogs for the meat trade is illegal, but dog meat is considered a delicacy in some parts of the Philippines.
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