Thai officials have rescued over 1,000 dogs on their way to Vietnam to be cooked and eaten, AFP reports.

Officials said police intercepted four trucks near the Thai-Laos border stacked with tiny cages housing 1,011 dogs. Some had already died due to the conditions:

[A livestock development spokeswoman] said an additional 119 had died either through suffocation in the cramped cages or when they were thrown from the back of the trucks as the alleged traffickers sped away from arresting officers.

According to AFP, traffickers round up stray dogs in Thai villages and also barter for pets. They then turn around and sell them for meat and can get around $33 per animal in Vietnam.

Below, Reuters has video of the rescued animals (Content Warning: some of the images may be disturbing to some):

(H/T: HuffPo)