Disturbing Footage Reveals Famous Market Is Defying Indonesia’s Pledge to End Dog and Cat Meat Trade

Back in August, animal activists everywhere rejoiced when the government of Indonesia announced its intention to ban the country’s infamously cruel dog and cat meat trade at a “National Coordination of Animal Welfare” meeting in Jakarta. Unfortunately, as we are finding out one short month later, it seems as if Indonesia isn’t quite following through on its promise to end the highly controversial practice of torturing and brutally killing animals for their meat.

As disturbing photos and videos recently captured by animal protection coalition Dog Meat-Free Indonesia (DMFI) have revealed, countless dogs and cats are still being subjected to unimaginable cruelty at an “extreme” market in Tomohon, a city in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province.

DMFI investigator Lola Webber described the sickening scene in a press release, “Every single dog and cat we saw at Tomohon extreme market was blow-torched whilst clearly still alive. It was the most horrific cruelty we have witnessed so far in our campaign to shut down this hideous trade, and it was all done in full view of very young children.”

She went on, “By the end of our filming we were all spattered with blood and brain matter from the bludgeoning, showing how easy it would be for customers and tourists to become infected with diseases such as rabies, and in fact, two of our team were extremely sick following the market visit.”

Indeed, the deeply troubling practice of beating dogs and cats to death and then putting their meat on sale in markets is problematic not only because of the pain and suffering it causes for innocent animals; it’s also a major hazard to human health.

As the World Health Organization has explicitly warned, the dog and cat meat trade is a leading contributor to the spread of rabies and other dangerous zoonotic diseases in Indonesia. Makes the idea of vacationing there seem a little less appealing, huh?

Unfortunately, the continuation of this barbaric “tradition” hasn’t stopped international tourists from visiting the island nation. Each year, an estimated 12 million tourists take a trip to Indonesia, including around 330,000 U.S. citizens. The scary part is, many have no idea that they are putting themselves at a high risk of contracting rabies or another deadly disease, not to mention supporting the horrific torture of sentient animals we know and love as pets.

To help raise awareness about this brutal practice and why it’s bad news for both animals and humans, please share this article with everyone in your network. In addition, we encourage you to consider donating to Dog Meat-Free Indonesia and joining their social media campaign to help spread the truth about the urgent issue at hand.

All Image Source: Dog Meat-Free Indonesia