This report comes to us from the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Please be advised that there are some very upsetting facts in this article. Some Dogsters may find the article hard to read. I am putting it on the blog because this is an important issue that more people should be aware of and address. If you know you will be heavily distressed, please consider passing by this entry.
If you want to learn more about what is being done in the Philippines to stop this barbaric behavior, please visit the Network for Animals site. Be warned that it too has some extremely upsetting information and pictures!
The site also has information on how you can do your part to stop the dog meat trade by urging the Philippines’ government to pass House Bill 2991 which would increase the penalties for practicing this horrific trade.
UK-based animal rights group seeks stop to RP dog meat trade
LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — An animal welfare group has called for the strict implementation of the law to curb the illegal dog meat trade which has now become a P55 million a year industry.
The Network for Animals (NFA), a United Kingdom-based animal welfare nongovernment organization, and the Manila veterinary inspection board were alarmed that the supply and demand of dog meat in the country continued despite measures to stop the trade.
To eliminate the trade, they said efforts must be focused on the sources of the dogs.
The guns must be trained this time on traders who insisted on transporting dogs to the Cordillera where dog meat consumption is high, they said.
Melchor Alipio, NFAs representative to the Philippines, said the dog meat trade has become a multimillion-peso industry since around 1,000 dogs are being slaughtered daily for consumption in restaurants and eateries in the region.
We must run after the dog meat traders first to weaken the source of the industry,” Alipio said.
Dr. Jose Diaz, a member of Manilas veterinary inspection board, said Southern Luzon, particularly Laguna and Rizal, remained the major sources of dogs that are traded here.
Alipio and Diaz on December 8 joined Benguet State University (BSU) and local officials here for the groundbreaking ceremony of a veterinary companion shelter at BSUs college of veterinary medicine.
The NFA donated $10,000 for the shelter that was intended to become a center of information for the Animal Welfare Law (Republic Act No. 8485) and a confinement facility for stray animals and dogs seized from traders.
Alipio said animal welfare groups have coordinated their efforts with lawmen to concentrate on the arrest of dog traders from Southern Luzon.
He said records of dogs seized from traders showed that five shipments of live dogs are transported daily to Baguio City and Benguet alone while at least 600 dogs are taken to the Ilocos and Cagayan Valley.
Based on our experience in Manila, a shipment contains 150 to 300 live dogs,” Diaz said.
