100,000 Dogs Are Eaten a Year in Bali: Stop It Now!

30th April 2014

Every year, 100,000 dogs are inhumanely slaughtered in Bali and carved up for consumption in around 100 dog meat warungs (cafes) across the tourist island.

Leading animal rights advocate the Bali Animal Welfare Association (BAWA) today released the results of 2 years of investigative research into the shocking dog meat (RW) trade on the Island of the Gods.

BAWA partnered in Jakarta with leading Indonesian and international Animal Welfare organisations to launch a national campaign to stop Indonesia’s dog meat trade.

Through undercover operations in all 9 Bali regencies over 2 years, BAWA has located and secured details of 70 dog meat warungs across the island and estimates there are 30 more. BAWA has complete information on 90% of the 70 warungs that it can pinpoint on the map of Bali.

BAWA’s findings include 100,000 dogs are slaughtered in Bali every year for sale in RW restaurants.

100% of dogs are inhumanely killed.

70% are butchered alive: They are lassoed and partially strangled before their body parts are hacked off while they are alive.
25% are poisoned.
1% are shot with air rifles.
4% are inhumanely killed using other methods.

A dog sells from Rp15,000 to Rp40,000.

Each Bali warung uses between ½ and 7 dogs a day.
From a 15kg dog a warung can make around 40 portions of soup or satay, which sell for Rp15,000 – Rp20,000 per portion with rice.
50% of people who eat dog meat are native Balinese; and 50% are from other areas of Indonesia including Medan, Flores, Sumatra and Manado.
80% of people who eat dog meat in the northern Bali regency of Buleleng are Balinese. · Many customers in Buleleng are police and military … it’s hard to get laws enforced!
45% of dogs destined for dog meat are sold to traders; 5% are given by owners in exchange for rice, chilies, baskets and so on.
50% of RW dogs are stolen from the streets and from houses.
95% of RW dogs are transported by motorbikes; 5% are moved by bus.
50% of RW warungs in Bali are supplied with dogs from other regencies. Moving dogs across Bali regency borders is illegal.

BAWA has partnered with Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN), Animal Friends Jogja (AFJ), Garda Satwa Indonesia (Animal Guard Indonesia – GSI), Change For Animals Foundation (CFAF) and House of Stray which is based in Bogor, Java, to combat the dog meat trade.

The powerful coalition called on policymakers to stop dog meat across Indonesia. BAWA drew attention to existing national laws to protect animals from cruelty and lobbied for the laws and their penalties to be strengthened.

BAWA urged the immediate closure of all dog meat restaurants and warungs and widespread socialisation of Indonesia’s Animal Welfare laws and better law enforcement.

“Many Indonesians including some enforcement officials are not aware of the laws,” said BAWA executive manager I Gusti Ngurah Bagus in Jakarta. “Nevertheless, abuse of animals including inhumane killing is illegal.”

BAWA has stopped the slaughter of terrified dogs for dog meat on many occasions and continues to monitor the sources and distribution of dog meat.

Dog meat is increasingly regarded as a delicacy with perceived medicinal properties to improve stamina and strength. Consumption is thought of as a sign of machismo. Men who are impotent eat dog meat to get an erection. Women assume that dog meat is healthy to feed their families when in fact it is not. The dog meat trade presents enormous issues for animal welfare – from crude and brutal methods of capture, transport and slaughter to resultant health risks including transmission of rabies. The dog meat trade involves large-scale, illegal movement of dogs of unknown disease and vaccination status between regencies (and provinces). This practice disrupts herd immunity to rabies achieved through mass vaccination programs.

The barbaric and unhygienic slaughter and butchery of dogs and consumption of meat from rabies-positive animals also puts humans at risk. Human deaths from rabies have been reported after the handling and consumption of meat from infected dogs. Scientists have warned islands such as Flores that they will never eradicate rabies unless they stop the dog meat trade. Ten percent of 47 RW dogs tested in Sulawesi were positive for rabies.

Unfortunately it is not yet illegal to eat dog meat in in Indonesia. But different Indonesian Criminal Code (KUHP) Articles apply to suppliers, sellers and buyers. They include Articles 241; 302; 362; 406; 335; 170; 480; 481; 204; and 205. Maximum sentence is life in prison.