Governor of West Java bans brutal boar vs dog fights in rural villages

November 2017: Following our collaborative exposé of the cruel and dangerous practice of “wild boar and dog fighting” in West Java – locally known as “Dugong” – there was a huge amount of national and international media coverage. What followed was overwhelming national and global condemnation! The Chairman of the Indonesian Council of Ulama - Indonesia's top Muslim clerical body – in Bandung regency criticised the practice, stating that, "All forms of cruelty to the living beings should not be illegal”; and on the 25th October, the police closed a dog-wild boar fighting arena, following complaints from local residents who consider the fights to be “disturbing”. This was then followed by the Governor of West Java, Ahmad Heryawan, issuing a decree banning the cruel and dangerous practice; and a spokesman for the governor’s office stated that: “Not all traditions that we have are good, and if a tradition has a bad influence and impact on people’s lives, the tradition must be eliminated or forgotten.”

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This is a great victory for animals, sending a clear message that “tradition” and “culture” can never be an excuse for cruelty.