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in officers IndonesiaPreparations are being made to issue a new law to impose restrictions in the capital. Dog consumption and trade and cat meat to curb rabies and advance animal welfare.
jakarta Governor Pramono Anung announced earlier this month that the law would make it illegal to sell or serve dog and cat meat in the capital, a move widely welcomed by animal rights activists.
According to reports, cat meat is eaten in some parts of Indonesia, but it is very small compared to the scale of dog meat consumption. But demand for dog meat, also known locally as “Scooby Doo” after the Great Dane who solves the mystery of the popular cartoon series of the same name, has declined in recent years due to younger generations’ interest in keeping dogs as pets.
Last week, the governor told reporters after meeting representatives of the Dog Meat Free Indonesia (DMFI) organization, “The situation of the dog meat trade in Jakarta is very worrying and requires immediate action to ban it”. “Jakarta, as a global city, should not promote such practices,” he said.
According to DMFI, an estimated 9,500 dogs are killed for food per month in Jakarta. It said about 97 percent of these dogs are taken illegally from West Java, where rabies is endemic.
Veterinarian Mary Ferdinandez, chief operating officer of Jakarta Animal Aid Network, said The Straits Times Of Indonesia’s 38 provinces, only 11, including Jakarta, are free of rabies cases.
If the dog meat trade is not curbed, he said, there will be no more rabies-free provinces in the country.
“We are confident that Jakarta’s decision will be replicated in other regions of Indonesia because Jakarta is very influential and is a boon for the country, being the capital of the country,” he said.
DMFI said trafficked dogs, many of which are pets, are packed tightly in cages and transported over long distances without food or water, then slaughtered in unregulated facilities. According to the organization, these dogs are “often beaten to death or burned alive”.
But Mr Anung’s actions have also sparked outrage among a small community of people in Jakarta who sell and consume the dishes made from it. dog meat,
While the decision has mostly been praised, some restaurants and customers have called the proposed ban unfair. Consumers argue that dog meat is part of local tradition and is often consumed by dengue patients, with the popular but unfounded belief that it will increase platelet levels.
In January last year, the South Korean parliament passed a bill banning the sale of dog meat, outlawing the centuries-old practice. The law will take effect after a three-year grace period to phase out the industry, effectively ending the business by 2027.