State Historical Society of Iowa

Operation "Noah's Ark" for Korea, ca. 1952

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Courtesy of Heifer International, ca. 1952 Description

Description

The Korean War significantly affected the food supply in Korea. Heifer International stepped up to help with the situation. In this photo, each man is holding an example of the animals and insects that the Heifer Project was sending as aid to South Korea. Many Korean orphanages wrote to Heifer International requesting they send livestock to them. Berkshire pigs from Iowa were one of the animals that were flown to South Korea.

By 1954, the Heifer International project had shipped 222 goats, 331 pigs, 70 chickens, 216,000 hatching eggs, 500 rabbits and 200 hives of honey bees to Korea. Due to the ravages of three years of fighting in the war torn land, many of these animals were in critically short supply, especially with the number of orphanages, schools and different homes being opened to take in those that had lost everything. By the end of 1954, there were over 400 registered orphanages in the Republic of Korea, and they continued to grow by over 1,000 children a week as more came in off of the streets.

Source Dependent Questions

  • Look closely at the photo. Describe what is taking place in the image. What context clues can be gathered by the sign?
  • Iowa sent livestock to South Korea after the Korean War. How does this show that Iowa has a responsibility on the world stage with trade?

Citation Information

Heifer International, ca. 1952. Courtesy of Heifer International Courtesy of Library of Congress