A police officer checks on the condition of dogs rescued from a smuggling attempt, on Jan. 10, 2024, in Semarang, Central Java. Volunteers from Animals Hope Shelter Indonesia are taking care of 226 dogs which authorities rescued from smugglers on Jan. 6. - Antara via Jakarta Post/ANN
JAKARTA: Central Java Police named five people as suspects for allegedly smuggling more than 200 dogs bound for a slaughterhouse in Semarang, Central Java, raising calls from animal rights activists for a nationwide ban of dog meat consumption.
Last Saturday, Semarang Police personnel intercepted a truck filled with dogs that had their legs shackled and mouths bound.
At least 12 of them were found dead from poor health or asphyxiation, and eight suffered from severe injuries. Five people in the vehicle, namely Donal Harianto, 43, Sulasno, 48, Ariyoto, 49, Wagimin, 62 and Ervan Yulianto, 29, were immediately arrested. The police later named them suspects in the case.
“They were sending the dogs to Sragen as requested by DH [Donal], the dog collector, who would send the animals to a slaughterhouse and later distribute the meat to several cities,” Semarang Police Chief Sr. Comr. Irwan Anwar said during a press briefing.
Sragen is a regency in Central Java, located around 30 kilometers from Surakarta, another large city in the province, where several eateries serve dog meat for human consumption.
According to a report issued in 2020 by NGO Dog Meat Free Indonesia (DMFI), nearly 14,000 dogs are slaughtered every year for consumption in the city.
During the press briefing, Donal told reporters that he had been in the dog trade business for 10 years, usually buying dogs for Rp 250,000 (US$16) each from several suppliers in West Java, as reported by kompas.id.
He sold up to 400 dogs per month in Surakarta and its suburban areas, making between Rp 14 million and Rp 20 million in profit.
The police charged the five suspects with violating the 2009 law on animal husbandry, the animal health law and the Criminal Code. They are facing a maximum sentence of nine years in prison.
Most of the rescued dogs are currently housed in a temporary shelter in Semarang, while the injured ones are undergoing treatment in veterinary clinics. Volunteers and veterinarians checked the condition of the dogs in the shelter.
“We’re worried that those dogs are carrying diseases such as rabies or heartworm that can harm both other dogs and humans,” said Christian Joshua Pale, founder of Animals Hope Shelter Indonesia, which files reports on dog smuggling with the police.
Semarang Police deputy chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Wiwit Ari Wibisono (sitting, third left) talks on Jan. 10, 2024, during a press briefing at the police headquarters, regarding the arrest of five suspects for allegedly smuggling 226 dogs for human consumption in various cities in Central Java. - Antara via Jakarta Post/ANN
Just like South Korea
Indonesia is one of a few countries that still allow the sale of dog and cat meat. However, several cities, including Semarang, have imposed local bans on the trade of such meat in recent years. Karin Franken of the DMFI called on the government to impose a nationwide ban on dog meat consumption and issue stricter monitoring of the illegal dog trade.
“I hope the arrest in Semarang can inspire the government to ban dog consumption, like what the [South] Korean government recently did, she told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
Karin referred to the South Korean parliament’s move on Tuesday to pass a bill banning the breeding, slaughtering and sale of dogs for their meat, which has long been part of their traditional cuisine, AFP reported.
Under the law, breeding, selling and slaughtering dogs for their meat will be punishable by up to three years in prison or 30 million won ($23,000) in fines.
In Indonesia, campaigns against dog meat have recently been gaining ground. Last year, officials banned the trade of dog and cat meat at an infamous Tomohon wet market in North Sulawesi, where butchers openly bludgeoned and burned the animals alive.
Despite some resistance against the dog meat ban, more than 50 cities and regencies across Indonesia have issued circulars banning dog meat consumption in the past few years. The DMFI study showed that less than 7 percent of Indonesia’s population still consumed dog meat, while the rest are against the practice.
“With continuous advocacy, we’re optimistic that the government can eventually impose a nationwide ban with minimal resistance,” Karin continued.
Christian of Animals Hope Shelter Indonesia also called for the House of Representatives to push for the issuance of a regulation to ban dog meat distribution and consumption, which can worsen the spread of rabies in the country.
Indonesia has been struggling with an increase of rabies cases in recent years, as the Covid-19 pandemic halted vaccination efforts to combat the disease in the country.
In 2022, health authorities recorded 104,000 cases of people being bitten by rabid animals, which led to 102 deaths from rabies.
The figure almost doubled from the previous year, when most people stayed home because of the coronavirus.
Rabies in humans has a high fatality rate, at nearly 90 percent once symptoms appear.
The Health Ministry is aiming to eliminate the disease by 2030. -- The Jakarta Post/ANN
