ANIMAL PROTECTION
GMS countries pledge to end dog meat eating
The Nation
A file photo shows a large number of dogs being trafficked from Thailand to Vietnam.
BANGKOK: -- Government officials from the countries of Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam have pledged to end the inhumane, commercial trade in dogs for meat.
Government officials agreed to work to end the trade at a recent meeting in Hanoi with animal welfare coalition Asia Canine Protection Alliance. Concerned about the spread of rabies, officials said they would enact a moratorium on the commercial transport of dogs from one country to another for the next five years. In that time, authorities will measure the impact of a moratorium on rabies transmission in the region. In Thailand, where the trade is illegal, authorities agreed to improve the enforcement of existing regulations.
"We cannot change culture or habit, but we should stop the smuggling of dogs. This meeting was important to urge government agencies to see the problems caused by the dog meat trade and discuss a platform to stop the spread of rabies," said Pornpitak Panlar, an official of the Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health.
The alliance estimated that the trade is responsible for slaughtering an estimated 5 million dogs for human consumption per year. Thailand, Cambodia and Laos supply dogs for the trade into Vietnam, where they are slaughtered and consumed.
Dog meat production has evolved from small-scale household businesses to a multi-million dollar industry of illicit dog traders causing pain and suffering to the dogs involved and posing health risks to humans. The trade in dogs for meat involves movement of dogs of unknown disease and vaccination status, impeding rabies elimination efforts in the region.
Countries are failing to comply with their own national animal disease prevention measures, and are not following recommendations for rabies control and elimination by organisations such as the World Health Organisation and the World Organisation for Animal Health and the trade has been linked to outbreaks of trichinellosis, cholera and rabies. The World Health Organisation recently cited the trade as a contributing factor in recent outbreaks of rabies in Indonesia and cholera in Vietnam.
"The [rabies] situation has become more severe - especially this year. One of the main reasons is the illegal cross-border trade of dogs," said Nguyen Thu Thuy, deputy director of Vietnam’s Department of Animal Health.
-- The Nation 2013-09-03
GMS countries pledge to end dog meat eating
The Nation
A file photo shows a large number of dogs being trafficked from Thailand to Vietnam.
BANGKOK: -- Government officials from the countries of Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam have pledged to end the inhumane, commercial trade in dogs for meat.
Government officials agreed to work to end the trade at a recent meeting in Hanoi with animal welfare coalition Asia Canine Protection Alliance. Concerned about the spread of rabies, officials said they would enact a moratorium on the commercial transport of dogs from one country to another for the next five years. In that time, authorities will measure the impact of a moratorium on rabies transmission in the region. In Thailand, where the trade is illegal, authorities agreed to improve the enforcement of existing regulations.
"We cannot change culture or habit, but we should stop the smuggling of dogs. This meeting was important to urge government agencies to see the problems caused by the dog meat trade and discuss a platform to stop the spread of rabies," said Pornpitak Panlar, an official of the Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health.
The alliance estimated that the trade is responsible for slaughtering an estimated 5 million dogs for human consumption per year. Thailand, Cambodia and Laos supply dogs for the trade into Vietnam, where they are slaughtered and consumed.
Dog meat production has evolved from small-scale household businesses to a multi-million dollar industry of illicit dog traders causing pain and suffering to the dogs involved and posing health risks to humans. The trade in dogs for meat involves movement of dogs of unknown disease and vaccination status, impeding rabies elimination efforts in the region.
Countries are failing to comply with their own national animal disease prevention measures, and are not following recommendations for rabies control and elimination by organisations such as the World Health Organisation and the World Organisation for Animal Health and the trade has been linked to outbreaks of trichinellosis, cholera and rabies. The World Health Organisation recently cited the trade as a contributing factor in recent outbreaks of rabies in Indonesia and cholera in Vietnam.
"The [rabies] situation has become more severe - especially this year. One of the main reasons is the illegal cross-border trade of dogs," said Nguyen Thu Thuy, deputy director of Vietnam’s Department of Animal Health.
-- The Nation 2013-09-03
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