Representatives of FOUR PAWS, an international animal welfare organisation, have pledged to fight tooth and nail to put an end to dog and cat meat trafficking in the region.

According to a report by FOUR PAWS, an estimated 10 million dogs and cats are captured, transported, and slaughtered in Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia every year for their meat.

Born Bun Chheang, Southeast Asia Campaign Advisor from FOUR PAWS, said the animal welfare group has been receiving requests from Cambodians seeking action against the meat trafficking.

“The public has been communicating through social media, informing us of dog and cat meat trafficking activities and asking us to work with the government to ban the illegal trade permanently and effectively,” he said.

He added that according to FOUR PAWS research in 2022, only 12% of Cambodians regularly eat dog meat, and research in 2021 shows that 90% will support the ban.

Bun Chheang also said that the Siem Reap province took a historic decision of banning the trafficking and consumption of dog meat and set as a model for other provinces in Cambodia.

He also said that more action would be taken to combat the trafficking by working in coordination with the governments, NGOs, the private sector and local communities of Cambodia and Vietnam to stop the dog meat trafficking involving the two countries.

Karan Kukreja, FOUR PAWS Head of Campaigns Southeast Asia (Companion Animals) said: “We are also launching a campaign to stop the dog meat trade in Cambodia. The dog and cat meat trade poses various risks, such as direct and indirect risk of rabies, epidemics arising from the trafficking, etc.”

By banning the sale of dog meat, Siem Reap became the first province in Cambodia to outlaw the custom.

In 2020, a letter signed by the Seim Reap Provincial Agriculture Department said any person violating the ban will be charged according to Articles 112, 113 and 115 of the Law on Animal Health and Production, and will be fined up to $ 3,750.

A FOUR PAWS survey conducted in early 2021 across Vietnam found that the majority of Vietnamese want their government to take action, with a total of 91% saying the trade should be banned or discouraged. When asked if they would support a ban on the dog and cat meat trade, 88% of respondents said that they would be in favour of such a measure. Respondents were also asked if they felt consumption of dog and cat meat was part of Vietnamese culture, with the resounding answer being no, with 95% indicating that this was not part of their culture.

It added the majority of these animals are stolen pets or stray animals taken from the streets to supply the trade. The sheer scale of the trade and the involved suffering makes it one of the most severe animal welfare issues in Asia, if not the world.

• Tags: cat meat, dog-meat, FOUR PAWS