21-7-2023 (JAKARTA) The city of Tomohon in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province, known for its extreme wildlife and domestic animal trade, has announced a permanent ban on the sale of dogs and cats for human consumption. The animal market in Tomohon has long attracted tourists and locals who seek exotic delicacies such as bats, snakes, rats, monkeys, dogs and cats.
Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, and the consumption of all these animals’ meat is forbidden in Islam. However, North Sulawesi is predominantly Christian. Edwin Roring, the secretary of the city administration, announced the ban and urged residents to stop selling dog and cat meat.
The ban is one of the first of its kind in Indonesia, where an estimated 1 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 organization, 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. As part of the ban enforcement, activists rescued all the remaining live dogs and cats from the suppliers’ slaughterhouses and transported them to a shelter where they received veterinary care and rehabilitation.
