A Major Step Forward for Our Dog Meat-Free Campaign in the City of Yogyakarta
As part of our ongoing collaboration with the City of Yogyakarta (“Jogja”) government, local government-sponsored billboards have now been put up in two prominent locations in the city, with a clear message: Dogs are friends, not food!
The billboards’ messaging is the first of it’s kind in Jogja, with the government promoting key animal welfare principles and clearly stating that dogs are Man’s best friend and not for consumption!
The billboards state, “Dogs are loving animals; They are Man’s best friends. Not food.”
This is followed by listing of the 5 Freedoms:
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Freedom from hunger and thirst
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Freedom from pain, injury and disease
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Freedom from discomfort
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Freedom from fear and distress
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Freedom to express normal behaviour
This is the second part of the city’s socialization plan to end dog meat consumption city-wide, following our co-hosted seminar last month targeting key stakeholders and those who will be responsible for enforcing laws and regulations pertaining to ending the dog meat trade, including (government officials, law enforcement agencies, and the veterinary community.
We sincerely applaud the city of Jogja for their progressive approach to promoting animal welfare and the value dogs hold in our societies as loyal companions who must be protected against cruelty, and hope other cities take their lead.
We are getting ever closer to our first Dog Meat-Free city in Indonesia, and in January 2020 we will meet again with the authorities to sign our agreement on enforcing regulations that will result in the closure of all dog meat trading operations city-wide, saving thousands of dogs every month from the inherently brutal and dangerous dog meat trade!