Thai Govt Expected To Announce Steps To End The Dog Meat And Skin Trade In Thailand

[webfact]

SOI DOG FOUNDATION

Thai govt expected to announce steps to end the dog meat and skin trade in Thailand

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Thai government is expected to declare a national agenda to end the trade of dogs destined for human consumption, the nongovernmental organisation, Soi Dog Foundation (SDF) said in its press release released on Tuesday.

SDF reported that a seminar, which saw the participation of many governmental agencies including the public health ministry and livestock department, agreed to a request that the prime minister declare a national agenda to end the trade of dogs in Thailand.

They also suggested education programmes and campaigns to instil a sense of responsibility and social conscience in Thai people.

Whilst he believed the new law would improve animal welfare and fight against cruelty to animals, thus tackling the problem at a certain level, Nirandorn Eungtrakulsuk, former chief of Livestock Development and chairman of the Thai Veterinary Medical Association, said it would not be enough to eradicate the illegal trade because corruption is rampant in Thailand.

SDF said it welcomed this initiative, which it believes has been brought about by local and international pressure for Thailand to enforce current legislation under which it is illegal to export live dogs without export licenses and health certificates. However, SDF agrees with Nirandorn that the level of corruption associated with the trade will make it difficult for the authorities to stamp it out.

Pol Lt Col Chatchai Setthiphanian of the Canine Police Force said that harsher penalties should be imposed against dog smugglers. The current legislation allows for up to 2 years imprisonment and/or a Bt40,000 fine, but no such penalty has ever been imposed.

SDF also believes that the Special Investigation Bureau should be called in to investigate the known leaders of the trade, one of whom has stated that the trade earns them Bt1 billion per year, tax free. It has also been suggested that the dog meat trade may also be masking drug trafficking and the illegal trade in wildlife.

SDF is working with agents in both Thailand and Laos to provide information on planned smuggling operations, and is passing this information on to the authorities. However, there is concern that the decrease in illegal exports from Thailand has resulted in an increase in the number of dogs being collected from Laos to supply the demand.

-- The Nation 2012-12-18

[hellodolly]

Well I may be the odd man out on this one but if you are not a vegetarian would you not be hypocritical about eating dog meat. Why not include cats if you are thinking of them as pets. Pigs are smart animals and people eat them.

I am against the treatment that is inflicted on many of these animals, There are many that are not in the meat trade but have private owners that are abused. For what my opinion is worth the people who abuse animals should never own one and be punished if they abuse them.

[cloudhopper]

"They also suggested education programmes and campaigns to instil a sense of responsibility and social conscience in Thai people."

Well they have their work cut out for them then.

[Jingthing]

Well I may be the odd man out on this one but if you are not a vegetarian would you not be hypocritical about eating dog meat. Why not include cats if you are thinking of them as pets. Pigs are smart animals and people eat them.

I am against the treatment that is inflicted on many of these animals, There are many that are not in the meat trade but have private owners that are abused. For what my opinion is worth the people who abuse animals should never own one and be punished if they abuse them.

I wouldn't know, but I reckon dog tastes better than cat.

[Pimay1]

"They also suggested education programmes and campaigns to instil a sense of responsibility and social conscience in Thai people."

Well they have their work cut out for them then.

You bet cha.

Responsibility and social conscience are not part of this culture.

[Jingthing]

"They also suggested education programmes and campaigns to instil a sense of responsibility and social conscience in Thai people."

Well they have their work cut out for them then.

It could be done if people wanted it to be done.

Dogs have a special relationship to humans in an evolutionary way and because of that, I rate eating dog as only second to eating human as a legitimate taboo (short of Donner Party scenarios).

[fareastguy]

Well I may be the odd man out on this one but if you are not a vegetarian would you not be hypocritical about eating dog meat. Why not include cats if you are thinking of them as pets. Pigs are smart animals and people eat them.

I am against the treatment that is inflicted on many of these animals, There are many that are not in the meat trade but have private owners that are abused. For what my opinion is worth the people who abuse animals should never own one and be punished if they abuse them.

I wouldn't know, but I reckon dog tastes better than cat.

Nah.. you can't beat a good tasting kitty !!

[Jingthing]

Well I may be the odd man out on this one but if you are not a vegetarian would you not be hypocritical about eating dog meat. Why not include cats if you are thinking of them as pets. Pigs are smart animals and people eat them.

I am against the treatment that is inflicted on many of these animals, There are many that are not in the meat trade but have private owners that are abused. For what my opinion is worth the people who abuse animals should never own one and be punished if they abuse them.

I wouldn't know, but I reckon dog tastes better than cat.

Nah.. you can't beat a good tasting kitty !!

Down boy. Behave!

[Thai at Heart]

Are the animal rights bunch going to protest at the exporters houses?

It may be an old wife tale, but high quality golf gloves maybe made from dog skin.

Edited December 18, 2012 by Thai at Heart

[XINLOI]

"They also suggested education programmes and campaigns to instil a sense of responsibility and social conscience in Thai people."

Well they have their work cut out for them then.

In the mean time, what are they going to do about the amount of feral dogs running around loose? What are they going to do when they start attacking people and children. The village I live near is now full of feral dogs and the villagers keep telling themselves that the truck will pick them up! but at the same time are afraid to go out at night.... What about the rabies end of it? If you are bit will you get the shots or a placebo? Educating programs and campaigns??....These people have a lot of waking up to do...!

[Newguy70]

All the same dog, chicken, cow, pig etc.

One is just pricier than the other...

[XINLOI]

Are the animal rights bunch going to protest at the exporters houses?

Someone has already complained somewhere. The trucks have disappeared from my area that solved this problem but it has created another.These feral guys reproduction rate is quite high and the village is overloaded with feral dogs. I keep being the local dumping ground for unwanted pets too, both cats and dogs.....

[Mosha]

They need to be taught 600 Baht on spaying is better than 9 packs of fags

[hellodolly]

Well I may be the odd man out on this one but if you are not a vegetarian would you not be hypocritical about eating dog meat. Why not include cats if you are thinking of them as pets. Pigs are smart animals and people eat them.

I am against the treatment that is inflicted on many of these animals, There are many that are not in the meat trade but have private owners that are abused. For what my opinion is worth the people who abuse animals should never own one and be punished if they abuse them.

I wouldn't know, but I reckon dog tastes better than cat.

Nah.. you can't beat a good tasting kitty !!

Ask any one who has eaten at Chinese restaurants.

Edited December 18, 2012 by hellodolly

[BeforeTigers]

Humans are omnivores and dogs are made of meat.

Meat consumption and cruelty to the animal are not synonymous.

If people want to eat dogs, go for it. Just regulate it like you would any other livestock.

[don't get me wrong; I think that sucks, but there's no objective reason why it should be categorically banned]

Edited December 18, 2012 by BeforeTigers

[kimamey]

Well I may be the odd man out on this one but if you are not a vegetarian would you not be hypocritical about eating dog meat. Why not include cats if you are thinking of them as pets. Pigs are smart animals and people eat them.

I am against the treatment that is inflicted on many of these animals, There are many that are not in the meat trade but have private owners that are abused. For what my opinion is worth the people who abuse animals should never own one and be punished if they abuse them.

At home in the UK I'm almost entirely vegetarian but here in the land of Buddhism where killing something is supposed to be wrong it's difficult to avoid it although I am trying.

I think the reason dogs are the issue rather than cats is because cats are considered in the same way as a meal so aren't eaten as much. Of course any cruelty to animals is wrong and I think that's the real issue here. Have a look at the Soi Dog website and in particular the page about the dog meat trade.

There may be too many dogs but sending them to be beaten and skinned alive isn't the way to deal with it as far as I'm concerned.

[kimamey]

They need to be taught 600 Baht on spaying is better than 9 packs of fags

I think there is a government funded scheme to either neuter dogs or inject the bitches. My gf's bitches are injected although it doesn't always seem to work. Of course it could be that sometimes the injection is just water due to corruption. For the neutering the dog needs to be taken to a clinic which is why my gf's have to be injected.

[simple1]

Thailand is ranked number 10 worldwide with dog pet ownership at 6.9 million. God only knows what the actual dog population is, at a guess minimum would be double/triple?

http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-top-ten/countries-with-most-pet-dog-population.html

[Ragzilb]

We still need to do something about all those wild dogs which are running almost everywhere !

[simple1]

They need to be taught 600 Baht on spaying is better than 9 packs of fags

I think there is a government funded scheme to either neuter dogs or inject the bitches. My gf's bitches are injected although it doesn't always seem to work. Of course it could be that sometimes the injection is just water due to corruption. For the neutering the dog needs to be taken to a clinic which is why my gf's have to be injected.

yes their is, but how many Thai alleged dog lovers bother to take them to the government funded events, let alone exercise them etc

[Bagwan]

Well I may be the odd man out on this one but if you are not a vegetarian would you not be hypocritical about eating dog meat. Why not include cats if you are thinking of them as pets. Pigs are smart animals and people eat them.

I am against the treatment that is inflicted on many of these animals, There are many that are not in the meat trade but have private owners that are abused. For what my opinion is worth the people who abuse animals should never own one and be punished if they abuse them.

I wouldn't know, but I reckon dog tastes better than cat.

My pet python disagrees.

[kevinsan]

Ensure the meat is safe to eat. Regulate it just like the bar girls. Make sure they all have their shots and no infectious diseases.

[kimamey]

They need to be taught 600 Baht on spaying is better than 9 packs of fags

I think there is a government funded scheme to either neuter dogs or inject the bitches. My gf's bitches are injected although it doesn't always seem to work. Of course it could be that sometimes the injection is just water due to corruption. For the neutering the dog needs to be taken to a clinic which is why my gf's have to be injected.

yes their is, but how many Thai alleged dog lovers bother to take them to the government funded events, let alone exercise them etc

I've no idea to be honest but you're more than likely right that many more should. My point was that money isn't really the issue. It's as you say about being bothered.

[Nisa]

Thailand is ranked number 10 worldwide with dog pet ownership at 6.9 million. God only knows what the actual dog population is, at a guess minimum would be double/triple?

http://www.mapsofwor...population.html

I tried to follow your link but Google Chrome is blocking it due to malware threat. But did a search and according to WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals) in 2007 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Archives/Humanities/2012_March_13#Most_dog-loving_country), Thailand doesn't even rate in the the top 20. But interestingly when you go to the report (http://www.wspa.org.uk/Images/Pet%20ownership%20and%20trade%20-%20Global%20report_tcm9-10875.pdf) it states Thailand has had the largest increase in dog population and is 3rd in largest increase in cat population. (as an FYI, Vietnam rates pretty much the same)

Bottom line is it sounds like the government should be encouraging more eating of dogs and cats ;-)

[Mosha]

They need to be taught 600 Baht on spaying is better than 9 packs of fags

I think there is a government funded scheme to either neuter dogs or inject the bitches. My gf's bitches are injected although it doesn't always seem to work. Of course it could be that sometimes the injection is just water due to corruption. For the neutering the dog needs to be taken to a clinic which is why my gf's have to be injected.

I took ours as soon as they were old enough. I'm not having every dog up the road camped out side the house twice a year.

[Mosha]

Thailand is ranked number 10 worldwide with dog pet ownership at 6.9 million. God only knows what the actual dog population is, at a guess minimum would be double/triple?

http://www.mapsofwor...population.html

I tried to follow your link but Google Chrome is blocking it due to malware threat. But did a search and according to WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals) in 2007 (http://en.wikipedia....-loving_country), Thailand doesn't even rate in the the top 20. But interestingly when you go to the report (http://www.wspa.org...._tcm9-10875.pdf) it states Thailand has had the largest increase in dog population and is 3rd in largest increase in cat population. (as an FYI, Vietnam rates pretty much the same)

Bottom line is it sounds like the government should be encouraging more eating of dogs and cats ;-)

They can however be bothered to take them to the middle of nowhere and dump them.

[simple1]

Thailand is ranked number 10 worldwide with dog pet ownership at 6.9 million. God only knows what the actual dog population is, at a guess minimum would be double/triple?

http://www.mapsofwor...population.html

I tried to follow your link but Google Chrome is blocking it due to malware threat. But did a search and according to WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals) in 2007 (http://en.wikipedia....-loving_country), Thailand doesn't even rate in the the top 20. But interestingly when you go to the report (http://www.wspa.org...._tcm9-10875.pdf) it states Thailand has had the largest increase in dog population and is 3rd in largest increase in cat population. (as an FYI, Vietnam rates pretty much the same)

Bottom line is it sounds like the government should be encouraging more eating of dogs and cats ;-)

Sorry about that, no warning from Firefox. From another site Thailand is amongst the world's top 10 countries with the highest pet dog population.

Read more: Thailand - The Pet Wiki

[canopus1969]

"They also suggested education programmes and campaigns to instil a sense of responsibility and social conscience in Thai people."

Well they have their work cut out for them then.

It could be done if people wanted it to be done.

Dogs have a special relationship to humans in an evolutionary way and because of that, I rate eating dog as only second to eating human as a legitimate taboo (short of Donner Party scenarios).

Dogs have no more of a special(?) relationship to humans than horses - and we eat horses so why not eat dog if you are hungry and it's cheap ?

[rockderk]

Fortune teller's hat on. Here's my prediction. In 10 years time, the same people who now trade, butcher, torture, eat or have sex with animals will still be doing it. I'll still drive past an average of 4 fresh roadkill doggie carcasses on my way to work every morning. The military will still be repairing their zeppelin. A fire will have killed dozens of people because all the exits were locked or blocked by vendors. No high speed rail lines will be open. Around a thousand police officers will have been sacked for various criminal behaviour. 3G networks will face a delay.

[Crushdepth]

dam_n...where am I going to get my dog skin thongs from now?