8 arrested in alleged dog fighting

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CALAUAN, Philippines, March 31 (UPI) -- Eight South Koreans were arrested and more than 300 pit bulls rescued in raids on a dog fight arena and a dog farm south of Manila, Philippines officials said.

Chief Inspector Renante Galang of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group's national office said five of the suspects were out on bail after being arrested Dec. 3 at dog fight club in Cavite, The Philippine Inquirer reported.

"We received information that while they were out on bail they moved and set up another gaming facility in Laguna," Galang said Saturday.

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and Laguna police raided the dog fight arena in Calauan just before a fight was to take place Friday evening, Galang said.

The suspects were to be charged Monday with violation of the Animal Welfare Act and illegal gambling, Galang said.

Three to five-minute fights between pit bulls were streamed live on the Internet, and gamblers, mostly foreigners, placed bets using credit cards or Paypal, officials said.

After the raid, police went to a San Pablo City dog farm where suspects allegedly housed more than 300 pit bulls. The dogs were rescued.

Many of the dogs were in bad condition and some had been injured in previous fights, said Anna Cabrera, executive director of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society, which police contacted for the rescue.

Each of the dogs on the farm was chained to a steel water drum.

PAWS veterinarians said 10 pit bulls were so badly injured they had to be euthanized.