Bans on dog meat sweep across Asia

Gamey and rich, the first thing that grabs you about dog meat is the smell. Next, the taste: a fusion of beef and mutton, as one culinary adventurer has written. Last, the origin, and that is what sticks. Of the perhaps 30m dogs ending up in stews and barbecues across Asia, many begin as strays or pets. Even when farmed, it is a grim business. Unlike pigs and cows, dogs carry rabies; vaccinations are not routine. Campaigners accuse farmers of brutal slaughter techniques. But consumption endures. Some Asians prize dog meat as a delicacy: a savoury delight, a ward against bad luck or a supposed palliative for heat.

Lately, though, Asia has been ditching dog. In January South Korea joined China, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore in banning the dog-meat trade. Cat meat is sometimes banned, too. Regional bans have spread, from Cambodia’s Siem Reap province to India’s Nagaland state. Enforcement is being tightened. In February officials in Hong Kong arrested five Vietnamese caught hawking frozen dog and cat meat. Even in Vietnam, where the trade is still legal, shops are closing.

The first reason is rising pet ownership. As Asians have fewer babies, pets offer companionship. South Korea and Taiwan have as many pet dogs and cats as children aged 14 and under. In Thailand pets outnumber children by roughly 7m. One in four South Koreans owns a pet, mostly dogs, up from one in six in 2012. The puppy love extends to the president, Yoon Suk Yeol, who has six dogs and eight cats. “It feels like we’ve become a dog republic,” lamented the head of Korea’s dog-farming trade body. Asia’s pet-food market is growing faster than Europe’s or America’s, expanding 9% a year until 2029, according to Mordor Intelligence, a consultancy.

The second is dogged efforts by campaigners. Groups like Dog Meat Free Indonesia (DMFI) channel global attention. Western celebrities such as Ricky Gervais, a comedian, feature heavily in DMFI’s recent campaign. It jostles law enforcement to arrest dog traffickers and embeds in raids on dog slaughterhouses. China’s VShine, an animal-welfare group, boasts of getting dog meat removed from menus in Bengbu and Zhengzhou.

The final reason for the shift is social media. Asians make up more than 60% of users. Online, pet content is king. Canny activists pair viral animal-abuse videos with calls to action. Prabowo Subianto, Indonesia’s incoming president, endeared himself to young voters through Instagram videos cuddling his cat. As pets become friends and not food, he is unlikely to be the last leader to do so. ■