Activists rescued all the remaining live dogs and cats from the suppliers’ slaughterhouses as part of the ban enforcement.
city in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province, notorious for its extreme wildlife and domestic animal trade, announced a ban on selling dogs and cats for human consumption.
On Friday, Edwin Roring, the secretary of the Tomohon city administration, announced the ban was permanent.
The animal market in the city of Tomohon has long attracted tourists and locals alike who seek exotic delicacies such as bats, snakes, rats, monkeys, dogs, and cats.
Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation eating the meat of all of these animals forbidden in Islam.
North Sulawesi is predominantly Christian.
“Therefore, we expect the residents to stop selling dog and cat meat,” Mr Roring said.
“Regarding the consumption of dogs and cats, we will gradually educate the residents,” he added.
The ban is one of the first of its kind in Indonesia, where an estimated one million dogs and cats are killed for human consumption every year, mostly sourced from pet theft or strays.
The move followed months of campaigning and lobbying by animal activists from Humane Society International (HSI), a global animal protection organisation, and the local group Animal Friends Manado Indonesia (AFMI).
Animal welfare campaigners said the trade causes immense animal suffering and poses serious threats to human health by spreading diseases such as rabies, anthrax and leptospirosis.
Activists rescued all the remaining live dogs and cats from the suppliers’ slaughterhouses as part of the ban enforcement. They transported them to a shelter where they received veterinary care and rehabilitation.
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