IN FOCUS: It’s a human-eat-dog world in Indonesia, but a recent ban at an exotic meat market gives activists hope

That all changed on July 21 when Tomohon mayor Caroll Senduk issued an instruction banning the sale of dog and cat meat at the city-owned market.

Although the ban is only limited to the market and does not apply to the sale and consumption of dog and cat meat in other parts of the city, animal rights activists have lauded the move, calling it an important step in getting the rest of the country to follow suit.

“(The ban) has a huge symbolic value given that Tomohon market is notorious around the world for the trading and slaughtering of dogs and cats,” Mdm Lola Webber of the non-for-profit group Humane Society International (HSI) told CNA.

“If we can get such a ban at the Tomohon Extreme Market, it gives hope that others will take similar actions.”

MALICIOUS TRADE

To date, only 22 out of 514 cities and regencies across Indonesia have issued regulations, in one form or the other, against the sale of dog and cat meat. 

These include Semarang, Indonesia’s sixth biggest city, as well as Sukoharjo Regency, which was once notorious for its dog and cat meat trade. 

Getting these 22 areas to come on board in the fight to end the dog and cat meat trade has been a long struggle, activists say, even in cities where consumption of such meat is low like Jakarta. 

The capital city only passed a directive banning the sale of dog and cat meat last year.