Dog meat trade in Asia - Puppy mill
Love strokes Tran Minh Hau as he tenderly touches a brown and tan puppy. This is the last time he will see the animal. Instead of going to the slaughterhouse and cooking pot, the puppy goes to an animal shelter - with the hope of being adopted and having a dignified life. Such a happy ending is still the exception in the brutal Dog and cat meat trade in Vietnam.
Animal welfare activists from the organization Humane Society International (HSI) have convinced Hau to give up his business, a so-called "puppy fattening farm," two hours north of the Vietnamese capital Hanoi. In return, he receives a financial grant, equivalent to over 7000 Euro, as HSI expert Lola Webber states. This is a significant amount of money in the southeast Asian country and enough for him to start anew.
Five million dogs per year
"Harvesting bean sprouts and sweet potatoes will be much more peaceful than raising puppies for slaughter," quoted HSI another farmer, who also intends to leave the disturbing business. "And it's much better for my mental health, knowing I'm not causing harm." Activists were able to free 35 dogs from Hau's farm that day, and an equal number from another farm.
According to animal welfare organization Four Paws, at least five million dogs and one million cats are slaughtered annually in Vietnam. The business also thrives in countries like China and South Korea.
The northern Vietnamese province of Thai Nguyen, where Hau resides, is a hotspot for this trade - a business whose gruesome details send shivers down the spine of every animal lover. Before they die, the four-legged animals usually go through hell.
Even household pets are stolen
Stray dogs on the streets are often caught with poisoned baits, painful electric shockers, or ropes. According to HSI, some are smuggled into the country in trucks and buses from neighboring countries like Cambodia. Even household pets are not spared. Angry villagers have even killed dog thieves in response.
"Beloved pets are stolen from their families, dogs are beaten and confined in small cages, transported over hundreds of kilometers, then have their throats slit or their hearts stabbed, all in front of other dogs," describes the organization Animal Asia on its website. "Every aspect of the trade is associated with extreme cruelty towards animals."
Smugglers evade inspections by transporting the animals in the luggage compartment of buses, as stated in a new report from "Four Paws." They are packed so tightly that they barely receive any air and cannot move. Many are dead by the end of the journey due to suffocation, dehydration, or heatstroke. "What we saw during our investigation was beyond cruelty towards animals," write the animal activists.
What happens on the Mastfarms?
"Puppy fattening farms" (Welpenmastfarms) are a type of waystation. Here, small dogs are prepared for later consumption - after all, they need to weigh a few kilos to please the palates of end consumers in restaurants or food stands. The specialty is called "thit cho" in Vietnamese, meaning dog meat.
On farms, animals are kept in small concrete enclosures or cages, while they are fed rice porridge and pig brain. They are supposed to grow big and strong, so that the cash register rings in the end. One animal can earn up to 2.5 million Vietnamese Dong (around 90 Euro).
Approximately four months were the average length of time the dogs stayed with Hau. "I always felt sorry when I sent them to the trade," the 35-year-old man recounts. "I had spent every day with them, and over time we had grown closer." He used to eat dog meat himself, he admits, but he has stopped doing so now.
Fear of Mad Cow Disease Spread
There is another concern: The uncontrolled transport of unvaccinated animals under stressful and unsanitary conditions increases the risk of zoonoses. Brain samples from dogs at slaughterhouses were recently tested positive for the Mad Cow Disease virus.
The government is concerned about the spread of the disease and issued a regulation a few months ago, ordering local authorities to strictly implement Tollwut prevention and control. Quang Nguyen, an expert from HSI, says: "The dog meat trade in Vietnam is not only a disaster for animal welfare, but also incompatible with efforts to eliminate Tollwut in dogs."
Animal welfare activists and authorities working together
The organization has now made agreements with several local governments to prevent businesses from trading in dog and cat meat and to promote vaccinations and awareness campaigns. The goal is to eventually completely suppress consumption in the current hotspots.
Farmer Hau could already be convinced. "I no longer want to be involved in the dog meat trade," he said. "I am aware of the risks of Tollwut and other diseases - and I don't want that for my family or my community."
- Despite living in Vietnam, a country known for its high rate of dog and cat meat consumption, with at least five million dogs and one million cats being slaughtered annually according to Four Paws, Hau chooses to close his "puppy fattening farm" in Hanoi and start anew following financial assistance from Humane Society International (HSI).
- Animal welfare activists from HSI have reported success in convincing both Hau and another farmer to leave the dog meat trade, citing the mental health benefits and more peaceful alternatives like farming bean sprouts and sweet potatoes.
- The brutal treatment of dogs in Vietnam's dog meat trade extends beyond farms, with strays on the streets being caught with poisoned baits, electric shockers, and ropes, as well as some being smuggled into the country in inhumane conditions.
- In South Korea, another significant player in the dog meat trade, the practice is still prevalent and regarded as a traditional food, although many activists and organizations have been pushing for its abolition.
- China, along with Vietnam and South Korea, is another country where the dog meat trade thrives, with dogs being raised in inhumane conditions, often in "puppy fattening farms" like the one previously operated by Hau, where they are subjected to cruel treatment and kept in small concrete enclosures.
