A recent investigation revealed that Australian tourists were being tricked into eating dog meat skewers during their holidays on the Indonesian island. On Thursday, Bali authorities confiscated hundreds of kilograms of raw dog meat and several skewers from vendors, despite a blanket ban on the trade of such meat on the popular resort island. Independent informed of.
According to AFP, public order officers in Bali’s Jembrana district confiscated at least 500 dog meat skewers and 56 kilograms of raw dog meat from various vendors following multiple inspections. Bali Public Order Agency chief Dewa Nyoman Rai Dharmadi said inspections this week found three vendors were still selling dog meat, violating local regulations that ban its sale.
Two of these sellers had previously received warnings from the Bali police for being involved in the dog meat trade.
“We will not take sudden legal action but we are giving them a chance to know about the ban and why it was imposed. But we will take action against those (sellers) who do it repeatedly to have a deterrent effect. We are not messing around,” Mr Dharmadi said.
He said, “Dog meat is not edible and can cause illness. Do not believe the superstition that dog meat is healthy. It is misleading.”
The two sellers are said to be due to appear in court in August.
It is noteworthy that Bali has strictly banned the dog meat trade, and imposed harsh penalties on offenders, including a maximum prison sentence of three months and a hefty fine of up to 50 million rupiah (around £2,300), which will act as a strong deterrent to those involved in this illegal activity.
Unlike regulated farming practices, the dog meat trade often relies on the inhumane confiscation of dogs not raised for food, including stolen pets, community-owned dogs, and street dogs.
Animal welfare organisations, including Animals International, have condemned the sale and consumption of dog and cat meat, citing the cruelty inherent in the trade. They argue that the dog meat trade not only causes enormous suffering to dogs, but also poses serious health and safety risks to both tourists and local communities.
However, dog meat is considered part of the traditional diet and is consumed in some regions of Southeast and East Asia, including China, Vietnam, and North Korea.
