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The ‘Ugly Truth’ behind the dog and cat meat trade

  • Publication Date | May 3, 2019
  • Document Type | Letter to the Editor
  • Programmes | Forests & Biodiversity
  • Issues | Animal Welfare
  • Tags | Animal Welfare Act 2015, meat trade
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Credit: Aleksandr Nadyojin

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) is disheartened to learn that the culture of eating dogs and cats has caught on in Malaysia with Vietnamese nationals selling dog and cat meat in Selangor and Johor Bahru.   The trend has even caught up with a group of Indonesian men in Shah Alam killing a stray dog with a parang after which they then cooked his meat to eat.

The publication of video footage of workers from a steel manufacturing company torturing and killing a dog was grotesque. The company has since apologised following criticisms from social media users. Although the company affirmed action taken on the incident would be posted on its Facebook page, SAM has yet to receive any word from them in writing.

It is sad to know that our current Animal Welfare Act 2015 (Act 772) does not prohibit killing of animals including dogs and cats for the purpose of human consumption. However, the eating of dog and cat meat must never be excused as a cultural prerogative. Slicing limbs off living animals and slaughtering them in a manner that is nightmarish in its brutality is not culture—it is barbarism—and that is the crux of the issue.  Culture and tradition can be used to excuse all manner of dreadful acts against people as well as animals, but truly it is often used as a smokescreen for behaviour that is cruel and inhumane.

The dog and cat meat trade is animal abuse on a massive scale and intolerably cruel. There is no explicit recognition of dog and cat meat as legitimate food, or of dogs and cats as animals fit for human consumption, nor is there a clear ban on the sale or slaughter of these animals.

The method and manner in which an animal is killed under such circumstances would be subject to the provisions of the animal welfare legislation. If such killing caused the animal unnecessary pain or caused the animal not to die instantly, it would likely constitute an offence under the general cruelty provisions of such legislation.

Attention must be paid to the criminal theft of owned pets. Those trading dog and cat meat prefer companion animals because they are easier to handle than feral dogs and cats. This could be the answer to the number of missing or lost pets—they are ending up as food.

SAM would like to question the legality of eating the meat. Which authorities are responsible for granting permits to these foreigners to start the dog and cat meat sales here? Is there any certification from the health department to verify that these meats are safe for consumption? Which government agency will be held accountable should there be an outbreak of disease from virus contamination of these meats?  The government does not regulate dogs and cats the way it does other livestock, so the meats of these animals does not fall under the food hygiene or meat sanitation laws and is not subject to  controls at the source, nor is it tested before human consumption.  

SAM believes the consumption of dog and cat meat should be expressly prohibited in statute.  Dogs and cats hold a specific place in Malaysian society as companion animals and eating their meat is offensive to Malaysian cultural values. Due to the many animal welfare and public health concerns, SAM strongly discourages the consumption of and trade in dog and cat meat. Instead, SAM encourages rigorous enforcement of existing laws and supports new controls and regulations where current legislation does not exist aimed at banning what is typically an inhumane and vile practice against the perpetrators of this trade.

S M Mohamed Idris

President

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Testimonials

Sahabat Alam Malaysia adalah satu badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) yang telah sekian lama berjuang mempertahan kelestarian alam. Ia juga mendidik masyarakat tentang pentingnya kebersamaan dalam pemikiran dan tindakan agar alam ini dapat kita wariskan kepada generasi hadapan dalam keadaan yang elok dan terpelihara. Dalam pada itu juga SAM giat membantu golongan nelayan pantai dalam memperjuangkan hak-hak mereka sehinggalah tertubuhnya Persatuan Pendidikan dan Kebajikan Nelayan Pantai Malaysia (JARING). Nelayan pantai sepenuh masa ini dididik oleh SAM sehingga mereka mampu memainkan peranan sebagai pemimpin nelayan yang meneruskan kesinambungan memperjuangkan hak-hak nelayan pantai lainnya. Sebagai contoh SAM telah berjaya menyedarkan masyarakat nelayan keperluan menjaga hutan paya bakau untuk kebaikan hasil tangkapan nelayan itu sendiri.
Jamaluddin Mohamad Bualik
Jamaluddin Mohamad BualikPersatuan Pendidikan dan Kebajikan Jaringan Nelayan Pantai Malaysia (JARING)
During the 1980s, I used to read about the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) in the news. After retirement, some time in 2001, while lazing around, I read news about the construction of a carbon in leach plant using sodium cyanide to extract gold in Bukit Koman. My friends and I visited CAP and we were introduced to SAM and her legal team. We discussed the details of filing a case against the gold mining company and the department of environment with Ms Meenakshi Raman and her legal team. That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between lawyers from SAM and many of us from Bukit Koman. We had many ups and downs in our struggle to shut down the gold mine that was causing a nuisance in our village. But, as a community we never gave up because SAM had our backs.
Hue Fui How
Hue Fui HowSecretary, Bukit Koman Ban Cyanide in Goldmining Action Committee (BCAC)
Sahabat Alam Malaysia adalah sebuah NGO yang memperjuangkan nasib masyarakat luar bandar khasnya. SAM menerima aduan-aduan masyarakat dan menyelesaikan masalah yang dihadapi. SAM telah mewujudkan ramai aktivis-aktivis sosial dan alam sekitar. Pada era 1980 dan 90an SAM sangat dihormati oleh masyarakat dan agensi kerajaan. Apabila media sosial menguasai maklumat maka SAM pun terkesan dan masalah masyarakat terus disalurkan dengan pelbagai cara. SAM perlu mewujudkan aktivis-aktivis pelapis yang muda untuk terus membantu masyarakat. SAM juga perlu membuat perubahan supaya banyak turun kelapangan dan jangan mengharapkan laporan media sahaja. Tingkatkan prestasi sebagaimana pada zaman kegemilangan SAM di era 80-90an.
Che Ani Mt Zain
Che Ani Mt Zain
SAM taught me the importance of social activism and the role it plays in upholding the rights of people and the protection of the environment. In my experience, SAM has never hesitated to speak up in defence of people and their environment, and has gone the extra mile to champion their rights, by helping communities take their battles to the higher ups and even to the courts.
Jessica Binwani
Jessica BinwaniPublic/Private Interest Lawyer
Semenjak kami kenal SAM, banyak pengalaman dan pengetahuan yg kami dapat. Kami telah belajar cara membuat baja asli daripada SAM. Semenjak itu, bermulalah minat kami dalam aktiviti pertanian. Dengan memperolehi kemahiran dalam membuat baja asli dan penanaman lestari, kami juga telah dapat menambahkan pendapatan sampingan kami. Ini lebih baik daripada tanah kami terbiar dan tidak diusahakan. Terima kasih SAM kerana sudi memberi bantuan dan tunjuk ajar kepada Persatuan kami.
Chedo Anak Nyuwen
Chedo Anak NyuwenPersatuan Penduduk Sg Buri, Bakong, Marudi
My journey with SAM started when her community organisers took me to the meet the paddy farmers of Kedah, connecting my growing interest in environmental law with our people who struggle to work the land in the face of pollution, replacement of traditional seeds with commercial hybrids and their accompanying chemical package of fertilisers and weedicides. I then had the honour to work with SAM in the struggle for the rights of the native communities of Sarawak, in defence of their forests from massive logging and destructive mega-projects. In every issue that SAM takes up, she combines rigorous research with the realities and voices of the communities to advocate for policies and laws that care for people and nature. From the courts to the elected legislators to policy makers and implementers and to the United Nations, SAM walks side by side with the communities in Malaysia. How can I not be inspired by the vision and passion of the generations of women and men who coalesce to form SAM?
Chee Yoke Ling
Chee Yoke Lingstudent of SAM, Executive Director of Third World Network, SAM’s sister organisation

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Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Headquarters)
No. 1, Jalan Joki, 11400 Penang,
Malaysia
Tel: +604 827 6930
Fax: +604 827 6932

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Marudi Office)
129A, First Floor,
Jalan Tuanku Taha,
P.O.Box 216,
98058 Marudi, Baram, Sarawak,
Malaysia
Tel & Fax: +6085 758 973

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