According to Mothership and VN Express, Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung said he would announce a governor’s regulation banning the trade and consumption of dog and cat meat.
Governor Pramono, who met with the civic group “Indonesia Without Dog Meat” at Jakarta’s city hall, said, “The situation in Jakarta’s dog meat trade is very worrisome, and urgent measures are needed to ban it.”
“I asked the city government to prepare the governor’s regulations on dog meat consumption, trade and prohibition of cat meat. I hope it will be completed within a month,” he said, adding that he would cooperate with Jakarta’s Regional People’s Representative Committee (DPRD) to allow dog meat to be regulated according to local regulations in addition to the governor’s regulations.
Donny Herdaru Tona of Indonesia’s animal protection organization welcomed it, saying, “It marks a significant turning point in the long struggle against animal cruelty.”
Although dog meat consumption is decreasing in Jakarta, more than 9,000 dogs are slaughtered for food every month.
Opponents of dog meat point out that dog food increases the risk of zoonotic diseases such as rabies. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 71 people died of rabies in Indonesia between January and July last year.
In addition, the animal rights movement is becoming more active as young Indonesians regard dogs and cats as pets rather than livestock.
Some restaurant owners and customers, however, protested the ban, arguing that dog meat is part of the local tradition. Some street vendors handling dog meat are known to be operating in secret, putting up encrypted signs to avoid strong opposition.
Governor Pramono said that once the regulations come into effect, local officials will enforce the regulations through on-site crackdowns.
JULIE KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
