Exposing North-eastern Thailand’s Illegal Dog Meat Trade

[geriatrickid]

May those that eat dogs come back as soi dogs and provide the meal of the day to their ex wives/husbands when they partake in a romantic feast of dog.

[LawnGnome]

Man has certain bonds with some animals - a kinship that is felt with dogs, horses and the like. Those bonds are not a new thing, but go back thousands of years. This basic point is what so many feel revulsion to the concept of eating certain animals.

Right or wrong, that feeling is present in some but not in others. If you do not share their palate, don't go there, or don't patronize the establishments. It is about all you can do.

Any animal that is killed for meat, should be killed as humanly as possible - my own opinion.

[jubby]

They certainly eat the occasional dog in my Village in the North , so its not just the north-east. My neigbours had a couple of my dogs (road-Kill) , and a couple of dogs that were partial to killing ducks & chickens. I suspect most of rural thailand take the occassional dog too . Lets face it they appear to eat anything that moves and who are we to say its wrong.

I've never seen the 'BucketMan' though.

[way2muchcoffee]

My wife loves dog. She says it tastes like lamb. Every year the wife's family kill at least one of the household pets to make a delectable feast. They usually do this at a family gathering. I don't partake and am put off by the whole thing, especially the killing and eating a pet. But hey, it is their tradition, who am I to rain on their parade?

Edited December 5, 2009 by way2muchcoffee

[ArthurPewty]

I understand that Australians have been urged to eat Kangaroos in order to keep their numbers down, so it seems to me Thais should be urged to eat the menace of dogs on the streets. They are a scourge in BKK and with a rising number of human deaths from rabies it seems mad to me that they are not being 'removed' from the streets.

[Bagwan]

I understand that Australians have been urged to eat Kangaroos in order to keep their numbers down,

I always thought that those big Aussie sheilas were charged with controlling the growth in population numbers. One look at one of them and I forget about sex for um um 2 minutes. So eating kangaroo meat helps the sheilas out. Interesting,but how? Does it make one sterile or impotent? Or even binkie?

I suspect a devious UK plot here. By decreasing the numbers available for selection to play for the baggy Green Caps, why, England might win the occasional Test match.

[lioness]

I understand that Australians have been urged to eat Kangaroos in order to keep their numbers down, so it seems to me Thais should be urged to eat the menace of dogs on the streets. They are a scourge in BKK and with a rising number of human deaths from rabies it seems mad to me that they are not being 'removed' from the streets.

There is a vast difference between eating dog and Kangaroo. Kangaroos are vegetarians, dogs are not.

Kangaroos have been control shot for years and used primarily in the pet food industry. However it is available in Australian supermarkets as roasts, steak etc.

There are laws in Western countries about eating animals that eat meat.

[ArthurPewty]

From the BBC.

Eat kangaroo to 'save the planet'

Kangaroos could be good for the environment

Switching from beef to kangaroo burgers could significantly help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, says an Australian scientist.

The methane gas produced by sheep and cows through belching and flatulence is more potent than carbon dioxide in the damage it can cause to the environment.

But kangaroos produce virtually no methane because their digestive systems are different.

Dr George Wilson, of the Australian Wildlife Services, urges farming them.

He says they have a different set of micro-organisms in their guts to cows and sheep.

Sheep and cattle account for 11% of Australia's carbon footprint and over the years, there have been various proposals to deal with the problem.

Now Dr Wilson believes kangaroos might hold the answer.

He said: "It tastes excellent, not unlike venison - only a different flavour."

The country already produces 30 million kangaroos farmed by landholders in the outback.

But Dr Wilson is keen to see that population dramatically increased to produce the same amount of kangaroo meat as that currently produced by conventional livestock.

Methane is about 25 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide molecule for molecule.

But the much greater volume of CO2 generated by human activities such as industry and transport means that it is the largest contributor to modern-day global warming.

[sabaijai]

The article is incorrect in stating that the dogmeat trade in that district of Nakhon Phanom is illegal. In fact that district has long been given a special exemption from the law, which is why the dog market there flourishes.

[TAWP]

What is illegal is capturing and slaughtering the free-running dogs, unless one would have a dog-hunter(...) license.

To have food-farms with dogs for meat and fur is not illegal if one has the permits required.

Well, I tell you what is disgusting is that story of little red riding hood. Now first of all you have this nice kids tale, and when I was reading it to my 6 year old nephew it was going well until it turned into a frigging grand mother bestiality porno when the wolf started eating out the grandma.

Seriously, they should put a warning on stuff like that.

A permit.

By comparison, I say let them eat dog. Because it is a dog eat dog world, not a wolf eating out filthy shaved grandmas world. I think I may have ruined his childhood in explaining in graphic detail what the wolf was doing.

Stevero>> While I appreciate the sarcasm, the comment was to actually highlight why it might be an illegal trade that is going on. Eating your own dog might not be it, eating dogs farmed for food with the same permits is probably alright, but capturing disease-ridden street-dogs of often dubious legal status (owners, past or current, might or might not be around etc) and shipping them off to make food out of them is by all guesses an illegal practice.

Now, that isn't attacking the political angle if permits should be needed, it is just a statement of the current status of the nation. My own opinions about grandmas bestiality adventure aside.

[p_brownstone]

When I saw the Topic subject I assumed it was yet another "expose" (sorry can't find an acute accent!) by a UK Tabloid.

Guess it must have been penned by a newly arrived English teacher looking for extra income .

Patrick

[Limbo]

When I saw the Topic subject I assumed it was yet another "expose" (sorry can't find an acute accent!) by a UK Tabloid.

Guess it must have been penned by a newly arrived English teacher looking for extra income .

Patrick

555!

I think that hits the head of the nail!

First I was surprised to read Sabajjai's posting in which he informed us that in this area it is by law accepted (maybe even in certain circumstances 'required') to do doggy business.

I wondered why the local law-enforcement organisation didn't go against this exception in the law, as it could deprive them from a source of income enabling them to buy big European cars, be big shots in karaokes, have multiple mia-nois, buy land, build tasteless big houses and this without depriving the locals from eating their favorite meat.

Could it be that the 'entrepreneurs' among the Thai police get bigger slices from the 'export' and that the export in that way is more profitable than 'charging' locals eating meat of this particular animal? So even bigger houses, more mia-nois, more land and even more tasteless and bigger houses, even bigger European cars and so on, when the trade was locally legalised?

I think it is very important though to understand that certainly not all men 'being prepared' in police uniforms in Thailand are corrupt.

A very famous high ranked police officer, who is now in charge of one of the biggest political parties in Thailand, Mr. Chalerm Yoobamrung, has declared that he estimates that at least 30 % of Thailands law inforcement people are honest. He has been working for decades within the police force, so he should know.

This we allways should keep in mind: Thailand has very decent police officers, even if they might not represent the majority.

So please give a police officer always the advantage of the doubt!

Happy Birthday to His Majesty!

Limbo

To give an example of the kind of action of a disgraceful 'police officer' I would like to show a part of a number plate.

A 'police officer' took two hundred Baht from a young lady, more than what she earns in a day, claiming that the mark was two centimeters too far to the right and that he should take the motorbike to the 'police' station for further research on the matter.

She got a receipt telling that her motorbike had technical problems ....

She didn't dare to ask to be allowed to speak to the superior officer of this bandit, so we don't know if this kind of 'policing' was backed by his superiors. I would suggest to bring this kind of matters always to the responsible officer in charge as this is simply theft and Thai police officers, as any police officers elsewhere in the world, are not supposed to steal.

I would like to add that in many European countries police officers get double punishment if caught stealing and, of course, they will have to look for another job which they will have difficulties to find as they are disgracefully thrown out of 'the corps'. So please help the the Royal Police of Thailand to get rid of the thieves among their ranks by rapporting them to their commanding officers.

Edited December 5, 2009 by Limbo

[Boo]

I wish I hadn't read this thread!!! YUK

[DaraRai]

I don't know if selling dog meat is illegal or not, but I do know that that is absolutely sickening! trapping dogs and butchering them for profit is so cruel...and it's a majority catholic village too? what a joke.

[PattayaParent]

I don't know if selling dog meat is illegal or not, but I do know that that is absolutely sickening! trapping dogs and butchering them for profit is so cruel...and it's a majority catholic village too? what a joke.

Filippinos are big dog eaters and when I worked in Indonesia during Ramadan all the restaurants were closed lunchtime except the Christian ones and in them there were only 2 dishes available, pig or dog.

Each country has it's own way of cooking it too, in Indonesia it's quite spicy, Korea it's a stew and Viet Nam cook dog in lemongrass.

Never tried Philippine or Thai dog though.

[Hssl]

Just go a few kms past Nan in the north, people farming and eating dog........... 250-300B for a full dog 5 years ago

[torrenova]

In Japan I've eaten raw and cooked horse and chomped on the legs cut off still alive (and quite alarmingly still flashing) squid. In Thailand I've eaten all manner of bugs, rat as well as the more usual but strange things and maybe dog as well. I don't see any difference between one animal and another really. I'm not suggesting we go out and shoot lions and elephants for the pot but if they weren't scarce and tasted good, I would.

[buddy]

... gruesome dog meat trade

Why is eating dogs more gruesome than eating cats? Or pigs, for that matter? Cows, sheep, horses, monkeys, kangaroo?

If we are going to eat our fellow-creatures (which we have done for millenia), then how do we decide which ones we should or should not eat?

Rick,

Its about cruelty and suffering and HOW we kill the animal.

If the animal is killed humanely with a stun gun it has a quicker death than an animal that gets killed for Halal or Kosher meat (Religious Cruelty) where the animal has to be fully conscious (according to there God) and then they just slit its throat and it watches itself bleed to death.

In my years in the Middle East I have seen Camels, sheep, goats and Cows after having there throats cut still alive after 15 minutes squeeling and bleating and still trying to stand up and walk with there lifeblood pumping from thier throat, its a disgusting inhumane and cruel way to kill an animal.

No one has mentioned yet how the dogs that are captured and exported from Thailand are killed, believe me it aint nice, the Koreans for a start believe that if you terrify the dog before it dies the meat tastes better, they normally hang the dog up by its hind legs and beat it to death slowly with a club, this can sometimes take hours.

This cruel death is normally perpetuated behind closed doors but the dog meat is openly on sale across Korea, even though its illegal in Korea the authorities turn a blind eye to it.

Go to YouTube link below, the Korean man was caught on camera killing a dog outside.

I am an omnivore and eat meat eater myself, I love a juicy steak as much as the next man, but I do have certain principles which you should all have if it involves cruelty, I dont eat Veal, Pate Fois Gras, Shark fin soup to name a few because my purchase will maintain the suffering of the animal i am eating.

Do not eat dog it is cruelty handed to you on a plate.

Also how a nation treats its animals is a barometer of a civilised society....is Korea a civilised society, even with all the trappings of material modernity???

[cognos]

a few years ago in Vancouver there were 2 black lab pups gutted and hanging from hooks in someones back yard. People were appalled, and the Vietnamese immigrants were charged with animal cruelty. They claimed ignorance, and said it was standard procedure back home

[ArthurPewty]

To the bleaters: What is the difference between eating a pig and a dog?

[shamus]

I'm quite sure I'll have eaten dog at some point in Isaan and I don't object to that. I object to the suffering. Like a chicken that's caught at night because it's easier to do, tied up and left in the corner outside shitting itself and 'whaling' because the buyer wants to eat it the second they kill it.

[Asa]

First, Tha Rae is in Sakhon Nakorn, not in Nakorn Panom. Second, Thais do not eat dog meat, only a few population of NE natives who started to eat them recently ( few decades earlier) after the Catholic Vietnamese refugees ( from war with France) settled in Udorn Thani, Nong Khai, Sakon Nakorn and Nakorn Panom. That is their culture, but never Thai. The same as some hill tribe dog eating culture especially Hmong, and other countries such as China mainland, and Korea. Some do eat dogs. A pity, that's loveable domestic animals are being eaten, and being traded with mere few plastic pails. But should it be intervened? Maybe one day it will stop, for new generations will have more choices of food sources.

Dog eating is not illegal in Thailand, though you don't need a license to be a dog butcher, or sell them, for hygienic reason there are some control by local administration.

[torrenova]

To the bleaters: What is the difference between eating a pig and a dog?

I think that is the point. For those who eat pork, do they ever wonder or care about what happened to the pig they are eating ? No, I don't either. The information is not there and I don't care to find out.

Some people have pigs as pets. No doubt they would have an issue with me putting their pet on the BBQ. Maybe they would let me grill a dog though ?

The issue is not really about dogs, but about what happens before it gets to your plate. With dogs, we humanise them because they are often pets. The pig remains a farmyard animal. That is the difference, it is our perception.

[steveromagnino]

Its about cruelty and suffering and HOW we kill the animal.

If the animal is killed humanely with a stun gun it has a quicker death than an animal that gets killed for Halal or Kosher meat (Religious Cruelty) where the animal has to be fully conscious (according to there God) and then they just slit its throat and it watches itself bleed to death.

In my years in the Middle East I have seen Camels, sheep, goats and Cows after having there throats cut still alive after 15 minutes squeeling and bleating and still trying to stand up and walk with there lifeblood pumping from thier throat, its a disgusting inhumane and cruel way to kill an animal.

Having worked in the energy industry where we supplied battery chicken farms, renderers and slaughter houses with energy to run various stuff, from time to time I was forced to visit.

Read skinny bitch or similar to learn a bit more about just how humane the world is in treating animals when it is out of sight of the diners.

While it may indeed be true 'in theory' that the animals don't suffer, what you would see was basically animals being terrified, dying in pain, technology not working and pretty much not far off the Middle east stuff - really cruel and enough to make you stop eating meat for a while. Even the delivery can be observed in many places, as the creatures are in terror, on the way to somewhere they don't know, overcrowded and pooing on eachother. A pig is a smart animal, how can it possibly be enjoying the one ride in the car leading to becoming bacon?

Those who eat fish are no doubt aware that the fish caught in a net basically gradually dies, as it writhes to get out. Caught in the mouth and pulled out of the water to suffocate on land. Almost none of the fishing industry other than recreational seems to use much instant death such as IIRC ooching (stabbing through the brain) or alchohol in the gills stuff; it is just let the thing suffer to death. Ditto for most recreational fishing also, although not all.

Crab eaters and lobster eaters typically will do so with the animal being either boiled to death, or torn apart.

Pigs, naturally not really a dirty creature, tend to be raised in total squalor with stress and overcrowding commonplace.

I don't have any solution, other than to suggest that while each of us can make some decision as part of the aggregate demand, that we try to let go of the assumptions based on emotion (e.g. whales should not be eaten.....but ok to eat a marlin or a shark) and instead accept that any meat eating or farmed fish eating tends to involve a massive impact on the environment in excess of what is required were we to simply bypass chunks of the food chain and eat the grains or the lower grade fish or the steps up the chain that are less delicious, less expensive and less impact on the environment.

Mind you, dam_n hard.

There is no way I would watch the Korea dog video though...... I saw enough in the slaughter house to know I cannot handle watching anything with a brain in agony when I can avoid it. Selfish I know. But to eat a dog at all? Not my idea of fun, but not really any different from the revulsion Americans have to eating venison, because some of them saw Bambi and therefroe don't like the idea of eating deer meat. Or kangeroo. Or whale (referred to by sailors as the rats of the sea).

[neverdie]

What about the rest of Thailand. The Thais eat dog meat everyday.

What complete nonsense

Actually its not complete nonsense at all, its quite common. I reported this once before on thai visa, on a number of occassions during my early morning walks I have stumbled across piled up dog skulls which have been freshly skinned, Ive seen this at several locations and Im less than 100km from Bkk.

The north east is well known for this type of thing.

Perhaps your new to Thailand?

[Garry9999]

What about the rest of Thailand. The Thais eat dog meat everyday.

What complete nonsense

Would you believe eating rat meat is quite common also?

[canuckamuck]

Thailand has a stray dog problem and the price for dog meat in Vietnam is rising.

Isn't that called a win win situation.

[neverdie]

^ Not if your a dog. I think its the CRUELTY factor that gets me, especially where they believe if the animal is suffering at time of death then the meat tastes better. I hope these asssssholes get heaps of bad karma.

[heykki]

No one asked yet the most important question: Where to buy this meat, or is it all exported? I'd imagine it cannot taste all that bad.