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Calls for dog meat ban reemerge after police foil smuggling attempt
Police in Central Java named five people suspects for transporting more than 200 dogs to a slaughterhouse in the province. The individuals named have been in the dog trading and slaughtering business for 10 years,
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A police officer checks on the condition of dogs rescued from a smuggling attempt, on Jan. 10, 2024, in Semarang, Central Java. Volunteers from Animals Hope Shelter Indonesia are taking care of 226 dogs which authorities rescued from smugglers on Jan. 6. (Antara/Makna Zaezar)
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olice named five people as suspects for allegedly smuggling more than 200 dogs bound for a slaughterhouse in Semarang, Central Java, raising calls from animal rights activists for a nationwide ban of dog meat consumption.
Last Saturday, Semarang Police personnel intercepted a truck filled with dogs that had their legs shackled and mouths bound. At least 12 of them were found dead from poor health or asphyxiation, and eight suffered from severe injuries.
Five people in the vehicle, namely Donal Harianto, 43, Sulasno, 48, Ariyoto, 49, Wagimin, 62 and Ervan Yulianto, 29, were immediately arrested. The police later named them suspects in the case.
“They were sending the dogs to Sragen as requested by DH [Donal], the dog collector, who would send the animals to a slaughterhouse and later distribute the meat to several cities,” Semarang Police Chief Sr. Comr. Irwan Anwar said during a press briefing on Monday.
Sragen is a regency in Central Java, located around 30 kilometers from Surakarta, another large city in the province, where several eateries serve dog meat for human consumption.
According to a report issued in 2020 by NGO Dog Meat Free Indonesia (DMFI), nearly 14,000 dogs are slaughtered every month for consumption in the city.
Read also: Loved and condemned: Indonesia’s internal battle against dog meat cuisine
