Letter: Dog meat dishes in Bali!

Thu, 04/16/2009 2:16 PM  |  Reader's Forum

Food stalls, or warungs, which specialize in selling dog meat never follow health and safety procedures; many of the butchered dogs are treated with chemicals that can be very harmful to humans.

Now that rabies is in Bali, it is even more dangerous to consume dog meat. The media recently reported that two people had died of rabies after consuming the meat from an infected dog or cat.

The government allows free transport of animals across the island; for example, Kintamani puppies are transported from Batur down to Tohpati in a horrible way every day.

They are kept in the hot sun in a cage on the side of the road, with no shelter or water, all day long and then thrown together (10 or 12 at a time) into bags for transport back up the mountain at the end of the day.

And this continues, even though the government has passed a law against transporting animals in and out of infected areas.

When will the government learn? How many people need to die before the government imposes jail sentences on those breaking the law? Why are animals still smuggled into Bali, although at a much higher "fee" than before?

Why are there still inhumane pet markets in Denpasar? Why are such food stalls still allowed to operate? Why are animals still being transported from Denpasar to Singaraja, while rabies vaccines are illegal for most of the island?

Too many questions? It is time someone paid attention and started addressing these issues before it is far too late.

Dayu Patmara
Ubud, Bali

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