ACPA Launches Laos-Vietnam Border Poster Campaign to Clamp Down on Illegal Dog Meat Trade
Large posters have been put up in Cao Treo in Vietnam, at the border crossing with Laos, as part of the campaign to stop the illegal trafficking of dogs and dog meat into the country. The posters warn smugglers that it is illegal to import and transport live dogs and dog meat, and that such action will result in prosecutions. The poster campaign was designed and financed by the Asia Canine Protection Alliance (ACPA), of which CFAF is an active and founding member. ACPA is working with the Vietnamese government to help eliminate rabies in Vietnam by 2020.
CFAF’s Lola Webber said: “Up to half a million dogs a year have been known to be imported into Vietnam through the Cao Treo border crossing point. These animals are transported to Hanoi to be killed and supplied to dog meat restaurants. Almost all of these animals would not have been vaccinated against rabies, so they pose a significant risk to human health and disease control which the government is concerned about. We are assisting the government to tackle rabies concerns through ending the cruel dog meat trade.”
The governments of Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos have all committed to eliminating rabies in their countries by 2020, but there are widespread concerns about how realistic this goal is. Technically it is illegal to transport dogs from one province to another in Vietnam without proper documentation - a measure that was introduced in an attempt to stop rabies spreading across the country. However, the law is not enforced and rabies continues to spread.
ACPA believes that ending the consumption of dog meat in Vietnam is necessary in order to eliminate rabies. If the demand for dog meat stops, the transportation of huge numbers of dogs in and around the country will end.
The poster reads: “Rabies is fatal! Illegally importing and transporting dogs or dog meat will result in confiscation and prosecution by law.”
As part of the campaign, ACPA recently produced a video featuring a number of famous Vietnamese celebrities calling for an end to the dog meat trade in Vietnam. In addition, 440,000 petition signatures have been presented to the Vietnamese government asking them to ban the dog meat trade.