A charity organization called Animals Asia first started investigating the illegality of China’s dog meat trade in 2015. While there is no national law banning the industry that kills an expected 10 million dogs every year, there are laws defining how the industry should operate. Animals Asia started looking into how and where dog meat sellers and restaurants get their meat. What they found was enough to make a real difference for thousands of innocent animals.
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Investigators discovered that in order to boost profit, dog meat suppliers steal family pets and snatch dogs from the street. They have no proof of origin and no vaccination histories, both of which are required by Chinese law. The Chinese food service industry has laws regulating food safety, and these dog-snatching policies are in direct violation. Animals Asia has reason to suspect 1,039 dog meat restaurants in 52 cities are operating illegally. They’ve made their cases known to more than 150 government departments, and 72% of the cases have been accepted.
So far, 126 of those restaurants have been ordered to either close their doors permanently or stop selling dog meat. While only a fraction of the total number, these results are the first steps forward in having a long-lasting affect on the Chinese dog meat industry. Animals Asia Founder and CEO, Jill Robinson, said,
“This is real progress. For so long most authorities have been turning a blind eye to the illegal transports, the lack of paperwork and the health risks of poisoned meat. But now we must congratulate them for taking these cases seriously, following through and upholding China’s laws.”
The food safety laws surrounding the dog meat trade protect consumers from being poisoned and contracting illnesses including rabies. During Animals Asia’s investigation, no evidence was found for a large-scale dog breeding facility. Knowing how many dogs are needed to fuel the profitable industry, this missing link in the chain of cruelty gives further weight to the theory that the dogs are being obtained illegally.
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This recent discovery puts the entire dog meat industry vulnerable to legal repercussions. Animals Asia plans to take advantage of this and make it harder for the industry to keep its momentum at its current scale. Investigators found that every link in the supply chain–not only where the dogs are obtained–is performed illegally in some way. There has been opposition from a few government departments in areas of the country where dog meat eating has a strong hold within the community, but overall, this new tactic is expected to bring major change and save countless dogs.
Animals Asia is continuously working to end the dog meat trade in China, and they encourage animal advocates to sign an open letter to the Chinese government detailing the cruelties of the practice. Sign the letter by visiting their website and make your voice known.
Featured Image Source: Facebook/The Humane Society of the United States
