Undercover Investigation Finds Dog Meat Being Sold to Unsuspecting Tourists in Bali

When you think of Bali, the island and providence of Indonesia, the first thought that probably comes to mind is pristine waters, warm sand, and relaxing with loved ones. Bali is known for their forested volcanic mountains, beaches, and coral reefs, but now a Animals Australia investigation has exposed shocking footage into Bali’s dark side: the cruel dog meat trade.

According to the non-profit animal welfare organization, innocent dogs are snatched from the streets and dumped in bamboo crates or plastic rice sacks. There, they await the nightly slaughter with their legs tied and mouths taped shut. The dog could suffer like this for hours or even days without food or water. Dogs are killed by strangulation, bludgeoning, and even cyanide poisoning.

Such crowding and filth enables disease to quickly spread among the dogs, with many contracting canine distemper, parvovirus, and almost certainly, rabies. This also poses a significant human health risk through the potential transmission of animal-borne diseases, such as rabies and cholera – and, of course, even more dangers to those who later choose to consume the meat.

Over four months, an undercover investigator for Animals Australia documented the dog trade in Bali. The investigator pretended to be a documentary maker interested in local cuisine. “I began the investigation by pinpointing and getting to know the key players in Bali’s completely unregulated dog-meat industry,” he said. “Eventually, they invited me to join them as their gangs stole, hunted, poisoned and killed dogs,” the investigator told ABC News.

The dog meat is then sold to unsuspecting tourists. Mobile dog meat vendors blatantly lie and say that the meat is chicken. 

According to Animals Australia, 70,000 Balinese dogs are slaughtered for their meat. Seven times more dogs are slaughtered in Bali than in China’s Yulin Dog Eating Festival.

Eating dog meat is not illegal in Bali, but killing animals cruelly or eating meat contaminated with poison is against the law, Animals Australia’s campaign director Lyn White told ABC News. 

“As an animal cruelty investigator, I have trained myself to cope with cruelty, but nothing prepared me for the brutal catching of dogs in the village. I focussed on my camera work but it was gut-wrenching to hear these dogs … screaming and wailing in terror and sorrow,” the investigator said. 

We must put an end to this barbaric practice. Hindu spiritual leader Gusti Ngurah Harta has vowed to fight the dog trade and thousands more are working to stop the cruelty.

By signing this petition, you can urge the Governor of Bali to immediately ban the dog meat trade as well as pass laws to outlaw extreme cruelty to all animals. Please sign the petition and send this post to everyone you know. Many people are not aware of the cruel practices and dangers or even the existence of the dog meat trade, so your best course of action is to educate yourself and others to expose the truth of this industry.

It’s also important to recognize that these dogs, who want to live a happy and free life, are no different than the pigs and cows that we raise for meat here in the U.S. If we could all see the animals around us as complex, emotional beings, instead of mindless commodities, the world would be a much kinder place.

With your help, we can shut down the dog meat trade for good. Consider making a donation to Animals Australia so that they can continue exposing animal cruelty.

Image source: Animals Australia