Dogs are bound in sacks before their slaughter at Bambanglipuro village
in Bantul, near the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta, May 29, 2011. Source:
Reuters
AN estimated 30 million dogs are slaughtered for meat across Asia each
year, as campaigns calling for an end to the trade continue to fall on
deaf ears.
The slaughter and sale of dog meat still mean big business in countries
like China, South Korea and Vietnam, with no end in sight as demand
remains robust in these economies. Indonesia, however, is about to buck
the trend.
Moved by disease and animal abuse concerns, its government this week agreed to a total ban on the trade.
On Tuesday, Syamsu Ma’arif, director of veterinary public health at the
agriculture ministry, said the government was drafting a regulation to
ban the trade of meat derived from pets and exotic animals in a bid to
promote animal welfare and prevent the spread of diseases like rabies.
“(Dog meat) is not food, according to our food law,” he said recently, as quoted by Reuters.
He added the government was still gathering material to back the proposed law.
The agreement also comes two weeks before the country hosts the 18th
Asian Games, after anti-dog meat campaigners from the Dog Meat-Free
Indonesia (DMFI) campaign warned that the trade could affect three
million tourists who could be exposed to the deadly rabies virus
contracted from the illicit dog and cat meat trade.
According to the DMFI, the announcement came at a “National Coordination
of Animal Welfare” meeting in Jakarta held on Aug 1 and 2 by the
Directorate of Veterinary Public, which was attended by national and
regional government representatives.
DMFI said at the close of the meeting, all national participants agreed
to issue a ban on the trade of dog and cat meat in Indonesia and to
prohibit the issuance of health certification for dog and cat meat for
human consumption.
Who eats dog in Indonesia?
An Asian Correspondent article
in December last year pointed out that only 7 percent of Indonesia’s 261
million population eats dog meat, and while the Muslim majority regard
the meat as ‘haram’ (forbidden) to eat, consumption by various other
cultural groups is considered traditional cuisine.
The consumption is largely driven by the belief that dog meat carries
special health benefits, including making men stronger or more sexually
proficient.
In this image, released on Tuesday June 2, 2015, caged dogs sit on the
side of Renminzhong Rd., waiting to be transferred to a slaughterhouse
in a narrow alley. (AP Images for Humane Society International)
Dog meat stalls in Solo, Central Java are a common sight, where traders
promote their products as being traditional Javanese jamu medicine.
The agriculture ministry, citing research in 2015, said about 730,000
dogs for consumption enter Jakarta from West Java annually.
To compare, Vietnam consumes five million dogs every year, the Asia Canine Protection Alliance says, while China is estimated to consume about 10 million dogs a year.
China’s Yulin festival has been described as a lightning rod for
criticism, where many of the dogs are believed to have been pets stolen
from their owners.
The reputation of Indonesia’s tourism industry has also taken a blow
last year after investigations exposed the hidden dog meat trade in
Bali.
An expose revealed that tourists were being duped into eating dog meat falsely touted as chicken satay.
Major breakthrough and hopes for Asia
Campaigners with the Dog Meat-Free Indonesia (DMFI) coalition have called the government-proposed ban a “major breakthrough”.
Lola Webber, Director at Change For Animals Foundation, said the extreme
cruelty of Indonesia’s dog and cat meat trades is intolerable under
both Indonesia and international animal welfare standards. She said the
government is right to be concerned about the impacts of these trades on
its international reputation.
“With our growing awareness of animal sentience comes a greater
responsibility to protect animals from cruelty,” she said in a
statement.
“Customs evolve and the nationwide movement from within Indonesia
calling for an end to these trades is proof that Indonesia is ready to
banish the dog meat trade to the history books of shame and illegality.
This latest announcement will be celebrated globally!”
Captured dogs bound in hessian sacks arrive on a motorbike at a slaughterhouse in Indonesia. Source: Dog Meat-Free Indonesia
Bobby Fernando of Animal Friends Jogja said: “This is such a victory for
Indonesia and the Indonesian government has given us hope and
motivation to collaborate with the government. We are one step closer to
a dog and cat meat-free Indonesia!”
“We hope that this bold step will send a strong message to other
countries across Asia, such as China, South Korea, India and Vietnam
where 30 million dogs and 10 million cats suffer unimaginable cruelty
for the meat trade, many of them stolen pets.”
