Dogs and Cats: 10 Million Slaughtered Annually in Southeast Asia

Current research by the global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS paints a disturbing picture: in Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia alone, an estimated ten million dogs and cats are brutally slaughtered every year.

The consumption of dog and cat meat is not illegal, but the methods used to obtain and slaughter the animals certainly are. In many cases, the dogs and cats are pets stolen from their owners and subsequently drowned, hanged, burned alive or stabbed. This makes the dog and cat meat trade not only the biggest animal welfare problem in Southeast Asia,FOUR PAWS also warns of serious health consequences for humans.

Dog and cat meat is available in restaurants and at markets frequented mainly by locals, but also by tourists — particularly from China and South Korea. The trade and consumption of dog and cat meat not only causes immeasurable suffering for animals and their owners, but also poses significant health risks for humans, reports Dr. Katherine Polak, veterinarian and head of FOUR PAWS Street Animal Care in Southeast Asia: “Traders steal pets and strays and transport them across the entire country — often across national borders as well. Whether the animals are infected with rabies or other diseases is of no concern. The keeping and slaughtering of dogs and cats — mostly at live animal markets or in backyards — is not only extremely brutal, but also completely devoid of any minimum hygiene standards. This creates the perfect breeding ground for new and deadly zoonotic viruses, such as the coronavirus. With around ten million animals slaughtered per year, the trade is flourishing, even though the majority of locals in Southeast Asia reject dog and cat meat. The responsible governments must act quickly — to protect both animals and people.”

High demand for dog and cat meat in Vietnam

According to FOUR PAWS investigations, an estimated five million dogs and one million cats are slaughtered for their meat each year in Vietnam. A kilogram of dog meat sells for between six and nine euros. Cat meat can cost up to eleven euros per kilogram — and in the case of a black cat, even up to twenty euros. Vietnamese men are the primary consumers of dog and cat meat. Among them, there is often the mistaken belief that the meat has healing properties. Demand is particularly high in the north of the country. The FOUR PAWS study shows that 60 percent of locals in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi have eaten dog meat at least once in their lives. However, 44 percent of respondents in Hanoi also stated that they intend to give up dog meat in the future. Dog and cat catchers regularly collect pets and strays in the south of the country and transport them in cramped cages for over 18 hours without water or food across the entire country. To satisfy the appetite for dog and cat meat, animals are also imported from China and Laos. In Vietnam, there are repeated — sometimes fatal — confrontations between pet owners and dog and cat catchers.

Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh as a dog meat hotspot

In neighboring Cambodia, the situation for animals is no better. FOUR PAWS research shows that around three million dogs are killed and eaten there every year. Among the slaughtered animals are strays, but also pets that are either stolen, traded for pots and pans, or sold. A live dog fetches between €1.80 and €2.70 per kilogram, while a kilogram of raw dog meat can be purchased for up to €3.60. A dog meat dish costs less than one euro. In the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh alone, FOUR PAWS has documented over 110 restaurants offering dog meat. Many of these restaurants have opened within the last two years. A particular practice in Cambodia is killing by drowning in specially constructed water tanks — allowing slaughterhouses to process over a hundred dogs per day. Although the trade is flourishing, the consumption of dog meat remains a controversial practice among locals, especially among younger generations.

Dogs and cats deliberately tortured at Indonesian live animal markets 

In Indonesia, consumers of dog and cat meat are in the minority. According to a FOUR PAWS report, fewer than seven percent of Indonesians eat this type of meat. Nevertheless, around one million dogs and hundreds of thousands of cats are killed each year for the meat trade. The meat is particularly in demand on the islands of Java, Sumatra, and Sulawesi. At so-called «extreme markets» in North Sulawesi — popular with tourists — the animals are sold and burned alive in front of market visitors. A live dog costs around €13. A ready-prepared dog meat dish, usually in the form of a curry or soup, costs approximately €1.30.

FOUR PAWS's fight against the dog and cat meat trade 

To sustainably end the brutal trade in dog and cat meat in Southeast Asia, FOUR PAWS has launched a campaign at both international and national levels. Through awareness work and cooperation with the responsible authorities and tourism associations, the aim is to persuade governments to introduce strict animal welfare laws prohibiting the catching, slaughtering, and eating of dogs and cats. In addition, FOUR PAWS supports local animal welfare organizations and communities with humane and sustainable programs for managing dog and cat populations. FOUR PAWS is also part of the animal welfare coalitions DMFI (Dog Meat Free Indonesia) and ACPA (Asia Canine Protection Alliance), which lobby against the trade in Southeast Asia.

FOUR PAWS has also launched a petition against the dog and cat meat trade, which has already been signed by over half a million supporters worldwide:
https://help.four-paws.org/de-CH/jetzt-den-handel-von-hunde-und-katzenfleisch-stoppen