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A Phuket group takes on rabies and the international dog meat trade

Phuket Soi Dogs Aim to Beat the Meat Trade

Thursday, May 23, 2013
PHUKET: MANY OF your readers will not be aware of the despicable trade in dog meat from Thailand to neighboring countries like Vietnam and Laos that has been going on for a number of years.

We would like to bring attention to what we call this ''trade of shame'' and to the work of the Soi Dog Foundation, a voluntary organisation based in Phuket that has been undertaking to try and stop this trade, as well as our sterilisation program to reduce the number of dogs on the streets.

The task is gigantic. For example, after recent interceptions there were over 5000 rescued dogs in Nakhon Phanom, Khemmarat and Buriram livestock shelters. Today the figure is down to 4400 with around 20 dogs dying per day, according to staff on site.

The traders had kept them hidden in the jungle for days, crammed into cages without food and water, so most of the dogs are sick and not well enough to be vaccinated.

Although doing their best for the dogs, the Department of Livestock Development has no budget for them, and the fund set up by the Governor of Nakhon Phanom province in August 2011 has now run out of money.

Soi Dog Foundation is currently providing food, vaccines (over 2500 sent to Nakhon Phanom last week alone at a cost of nearly 250,000 baht), and other drugs and even financing the construction of additional shelters at Buriram.

However it is costing well over one million baht per month to support the dogs, and donations are desperately needed. Please visit www.soidog.org to learn more and donate today.

If your readers in Bangkok are able to offer one of the dogs a home, SDF will transport the dog to Bangkok with the support of Nok Air, and de-sex and vaccinate it free of charge. Many of the dogs are stolen pets.

Prior to SDF's involvement, over 70 percent of intercepted dogs died from starvation, disease or injury. On May 17, SDF sent a team of vets to Khemmarat to de-sex all remaining unsterilised dogs there.

Pet owners should be aware that gangs are now travelling across Thailand snatching pet dogs in addition to carrying out the old-fashioned method of purchasing unwanted animals in exchange for plastic buckets from poorer areas of the country.

No penalties have ever been imposed on the traders who are making millions of baht per year from what is an unimaginably inhumane trade.

The dog meat trade and eating of dog meat is abhorred by the vast majority of Thais, and the multi-million baht industry based on incredible cruelty is run by, in effect, a criminal mafia.

Despite this being open knowledge, the Thai authorities appear unable or unwilling to halt the dog meat trade at its source and thereby prevent this suffering from continuing.

Regarding sterilisation as a means of controlling animals, SDF this week reached the significant milestone of sterilising its 50,000th animal since starting in late 2003.

SDF also operates in Bangkok and through mobile clinics in southern Thailand with a target of sterilising 15,000 animals per year.

The foundation hopes at its current rate to have sterilised around 100,000 animals in about three years' time.

The current mobile clinic program on Phuket, working closely with the province's local authorities, aims to have the island's stray population under control in two years and to continue the province's rabies-free status.

SDF is discussing with the Department of Livestock in Bangkok introducing a national program based on SDF's activities on Phuket. Thailand has pledged to eradicate rabies by 2020 in accordance with Asean agreements.

First published in 'The Nation' and republished with the permission of the authors. John and Gill Dalley are the founders of the Soi Dog Foundation.

Comments

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I admire the work Soi Dogs complete can I suggest having had my dog stolen in the UK where I was so happy when I had him returned to me after a week I can relate to the loss of a dog firsthand. Could you not take pictures of the dogs and place them on a website so that owners can try and recover their beloved dog.

Posted by Lost In Translation on May 23, 2013 19:41

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there is so many soi dogs so if not any org can pick them all up i dont see the problem the rest of them going to be dinner, or why not better send them to africa and help the people there, some dogmeat is really good

Posted by gurka on May 24, 2013 01:07

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Kudos to SDF..(we have have had one of your dogs for seven years).
Just wondering what happens to the rescued dogs..so many of 'em? Seem to remember being told that un-adopted dogs are sent to the big kennel in the sky after a period?

Posted by david on May 24, 2013 07:36

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Gurka, I have no idea who you are or where you come from but I am guessing its primitive with little access to education and no moral compass. I object to the ignorance of your post on a number of grounds.
Firstly on the continent of Africa a significant number of countries facing starvation and food shortages follow the Islamic code that would forbid such a food source, you show your ignorance.
Secondly I fully accept that different cultures may consider different food sources to be deemed acceptable sources of nutrition, I believe that if this is the case then the animals in question, in this case dogs should "enjoy" the same protections as farmed animals and should be treated humanely.
Thirdly in many cases these dogs are abducted by rogue gangs in some cased actually stolen from their owners.
I own 7 dogs and am of course fundamentally opposed to this illegal trade and further have committed to helping soi dogs with their important contribution to our society. I suspect the only contribution you have made is to spout your ignorance and lack of humanity,it troubles me that someone with your views enjoys liberty in society,I will pray for you this Visak day.

Posted by Robintoo on May 24, 2013 11:12

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Not only trade from Thailand to other countries. Come to Sakon Nakhon - you can buy dog meat at just about every market.

Posted by larry on May 24, 2013 12:40


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