South Korea was rocked by a foot-and-mouth outbreak that took a considerable toll on the country's animals. The disease (which began in late 2010) was confirmed at well over a hundred farms by mid-January, and resulted in the slaughter of nearly 1.7 million animals. The situation then got even bleaker: in the hurry to contain the outbreak, more than 1 million pigs were culled, many buried alive because euthanasia drugs had run out. South Korea's government came under fire from animal-rights groups like PETA, which wanted people to "urge South Korean authorities to stop this massacre immediately." And the country's citizens were affected too, albeit in the wallet: the mass cull caused wholesale prices of beef and pork to rise 9% and 22%, respectively, over December's average prices.