In Vietnam, an estimated 5 million dogs are slaughtered for human consumption each year. The dogs endure unimaginable suffering throughout all stages of the trade, from sourcing, transport, sale and slaughter. Stolen pets and roaming dogs are transported to cities on filthy, overcrowded trucks, posing a significant risk of disease transmission including rabies. Many die from suffocation, dehydration or heatstroke before they reach their final destination. For those who survive, the grueling journey ends at a slaughterhouse, market or restaurant.
The Asia Canine Protection Alliance
Founded in 2013 by Change For Animals Foundation, Animals Asia, Humane Society International and Soi Dog Foundation, the Asia Canine Protection Alliance (ACPA) is committed to ending the illegal trade in millions of dogs every year, destined to supply restaurants and markets in Vietnam. In November 2016, Four Paws International became the fifth member of the Alliance; and in January 2018, Soi Dog Foundation left the Alliance.
Where the trade in dogs for meat takes place across Asia, it fails to comply with national animal disease prevention measures, and is in breach of rabies control and elimination recommendations proposed by key human and animal health advisory bodies, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). Given the mounting body of evidence linking the dog meat trade to rabies transmission, ACPA is working to build collaborative relationships with the governments throughout South-East Asia where the dog meat trade is prevalent, to strengthen and enforce existing regulations which can serve to prohibit the trade, and to help them fulfill their pledge to eliminate rabies by the year 2020.
The poster reads: “Rabies is fatal! Illegally importing and transporting dogs or dog meat will result in confiscation and prosecution by law.”
What is ACPA doing to end the illegal trade in dogs?
By working with governments and human and animal health experts, ACPA has already secured a moratorium on the trade in dogs between Thailand and Vietnam. Vietnam’s Department of Animal Health also issued a directive to stop the illegal import of dogs. With government support, ACPA campaigns in key border areas to target illegal traders, and we will continue to work in close collaboration with regional governments and local law enforcers to ensure an end to this brutal trade.
At present, there are insufficient resources allocated to enforcing existing disease control regulations that would end the trade in dogs for their meat across the region. As a result, the industry persists and continues to cause significant risks to human health and the suffering of millions of dogs every year.
ACPA is committed to ending the dog meat trade. Our work focuses on:
-
Working with and supporting the government and local authorities of Vietnam to enforce existing regulations, so as to help ensure these countries fulfill their pledge to eliminate rabies by 2020.
-
Highlighting the human health risks associated with the dog meat trade and the slaughter, butchery and consumption of dogs.
-
Providing humane and sustainable dog population management solutions.
-
Promoting responsible pet ownership.
-
Encouraging a compassionate attitude towards dogs by highlighting the positive impacts they bring to society.
Our ongoing activities include:
-
Conducting investigations to expose the risks the trade poses to human health and animal welfare;
-
Providing training and support to local animal protection groups;
-
Working with authorities to stop the illegal trade.
There is an ever-growing opposition to the dog meat trade and we are committed to working with local and international partners to raise the profile of this issue and to ensure the strengthening and enforcement of laws that will banish this suffering to the history books.
Find out more about our ACPA partner organisations:
