According to the latest report of Four Paws, the dog and cat meat trade continues to thrive despite severe risk to public health.
February 11, 2020 – according to a study and investigation by the Global Animal Protection Organization Four Paws showed a shocking panorama: In Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia alone, an estimated 10 million dogs and cats were brutally slaughtered for meat every year. Although eating dog and cat meat is not prohibited, the origins and killing of dogs and cats are often illegal.
When dog and cat meat trade becomes super profitable in Southeast Asia, the pets will be stolen from their owners and then drowned, hung, stabbed or burned alive … for meat. This not only causes extreme suffering for dogs and cats as well as owners, but also potentially dangerous risks for human health. The organization also warned of the spread of unidentified animal meat consumption that would cause epidemics that could seriously affect human health.
Dog and cat meat can be easily found in restaurants and markets. Buyers are mostly local but can also be tourists from China and Korea. “Traffickers transport cats and dogs everywhere, even across borders, and no one knows which animal is infected with rabies or has other diseases. In addition, the extremely brutal slaughtering always takes place in a hidden place and no necessary hygienic conditions are available, which is an ideal environment for new deadly zoonotic viruses such as the Covid-19 virus, which is spreading globally. This niche business is consuming about 10 million cats and dogs every year, despite many objections. Therefore, Southeast Asian countries need to act quickly to protect animals as well as public health” said Veterinary Kinda Polak – head of the Four Paws Global Animal Protection Organization in Southeast Asia said.
Currently the number of people eating dog and cat meat in Vietnam has decreased, but according to the FOUR PAWS study, up to 60% of people in Hanoi capital have eaten dog meat at least once in their lifetime. However, 44% of respondents in Hanoi said they would refuse dog meat in the future. The Four PAWS survey also shows that an estimated 5 million dogs and 1 million cats are slaughtered each year in Vietnam.
When the profit of 1 kg of dog meat ranges from 6 € (approximately: 156 thousand VN) to 9 € (24 thousand VND), cat meat reaches 11 € (286 thousand VND), black cats even up to 20 € (VND 520,000), the butcher of these animals defies them all. Many pets were stolen or lost will be transported in the state of being starved and thirsty more than 18 hours from the South to the North
Men are the main consumers of dog and cat meat in Vietnam. This demand is higher in the North. Many of them think that the meat of these two animals help healing properties, some of them have the concept of eating dog and cat is unlucky. Most people who eat dogs and cats do not care about where they come from
Stealing and killing cats and dogs for food, smuggling these animals across the border for meat is an alarming problem in several Southeast Asian countries including Vietnam.
Cats and dogs are smuggled from many roads into Vietnam, including China and Laos to satisfy this craving for meat. According to CNN, a dog smuggling line from Northeast Thailand to Vietnam was uncovered. Each year, this line indirectly kills 200,000 poor dogs. More and more clashes, even fatal conflicts between pet owners and dog and cat thieves. The number of Vietnamese who oppose the trade in dogs and cats is increasing, especially for animal lovers and young people.
To bring an end to the brutal trade in dog and cat meat in Southeast Asia, FOUR PAWS launched a campaign at the international and national level. Through education and cooperation with authorities and tourism associations, the goal is for governments in Southeast Asia to enact animal protection laws to end capture, slaughter, and consumption of dog and cat meat.
Late 2019, FOUR PAWS issued a petition against the dog and cat meat trade, which has been supported by more than half a million people around the world. Please sign the signatures below as you join hands to end the dog and cat trade:
https://help.four-paws.org/en/end-dog-and-cat-meat-trade-southeast-asia
About FOUR PAWS organization
FOUR PAWS International is a non-profit organization based in Austria, implementing animal welfare projects in countries in Europe, Asia, South Africa and the United States.
At FOUR PAWS, we care about the rights of all living things and strive to make the world a better place for all sentient beings. We know dogs and cats are not the only animals to suffer, but their unique role in our lives are friends who deserves to be cherished and protected – The friend completely trusts us, making the existence of this trade truly shocking. Humans have domesticated cats and dogs to become guardians and family members. What does humanity mean if we don’t try to end this cruel trade and seize the opportunity to change?
In addition, FOUR PAWS supports local animal protection organizations and communities with stray animal care programs. FOUR PAWS is also part of the DMFI (Dog Meat Free Indonesia) and ACPA (Asian Dog Protection Alliance), lobbying against trade in Southeast Asia.
