Over the weekend, roughly 300 dogs were rescued from secret woodland kennels just south of Manila. They were part of an illegal online gambling operation in which players outside the Philippines bet on dogs fighting at a clandestine compound. The dogs had been kept in metal fuel drums and tied to heavy steel chains inside a five-acre coffee plantation surrounded by a fence made of corrugated tin in San Pablo city in Laguna.

But this is not the animals’ happy ending, as many of them are too injured or too wild to rehabilitate. Seventeen had to be  put to sleep on Saturday, and vets were yesterday to euthanise a further 22. The health of the living dogs and the progress of rehabilitating them will determine how many will ultimately survive. Welfare society vet Wilford Almora said many of the pit bulls – pure-bred and mixed breeds – suffered horrible wounds, including ripped ears and tongues, in previous fights. Some of the dogs were too weak to stand.

Dogfighting is not common in the Philippines and the fights were broadcast mostly outside the country.

Here are some more images from the raid:

[Source: Daily Mail]