Six Koreans and 17 Filipinos were charged with animal cruelty and illegal gambling for conducting dog fights at a house in Cavite province, Philippines and broadcasting it live online for bettors.

Cavite police identified the Koreans as Kim Jeong Py, 40; Kim Su Jeong, 27; Kim Sang Syun, 28; Kang Jun Ho, 28; Lee Han Gu, 33; and Kim Min, 31. They are holders of tourist visas.

A resident of Mahabang Kahoy village in Indang town tipped to police the warehouse where the dog fight was being conducted and it was raided on Saturday. Police found and rescued 252 caged pit bulls used by the syndicate.

Twenty-five badly injured dogs were euthanized by the provincial veterinarian and the rest were turned over to animal rights advocate and rescuer Animal Kingdom Foundation for care.

According to police, the dogs were made to fight in a makeshift arena while being videoed. The cameras are controlled by computer and streamed online to a gambling site, where Koreans bet which dog will win the fight.

"Two dogs are pitted against each other and the winning dog in the first round fights another dog for a second match," said Cavite police chief Romeo Baleros, according to Inquirer.net.

The Filipinos, who are hired to feed and clean the cage of the dogs, told police that the pit bulls were brought by the Koreans starting October from an unknown supplier. The Koreans rent the warehouse but live in nearby Tagaytay City.

Interpreters said the Koreans claim they did not know that dog fighting is illegal in the Philippines.

A pit bull.