Rabies-Infected Dog Meat Scare
Health Officials Sound the Alarm about this Illegal Killing Industry in Philippines!
The South China Morning Post reported just days ago that at least 13 people in the Philippine city of Zamboango, including nine children, would receive a series of post exposure vaccines after eating rabies-infected dog meat – adding yet another layer of misery to Asia’s already brutal and illegal dog meat industry. Philippines National Meat Inspection Commission officials warned that eating dog meat is “dangerous,” reemphasizing that it does not inspect or monitor any part of the illegal trade, including the meat.
Demand for dog meat in Vietnam and China, for example, has grown to the point that dogs are stolen illegally from bordering countries – often companion animals still wearing their collars. In places like Laos, where dog transport is tragically still legal, rules remain non-existent: there are no quarantines, no vaccinations, no taxes or duties, no oversight. Export trucks run their heartbreaking cargo night and day, transport that the World Health Organization (WHO) has linked to the spread of the bacteria that causes cholera.
With the help of supporters in the months ahead, In Defense of Animals will build on inroads made in South Korea to end the dog and cat meat trade – that country’s longest-running dog meat restaurant recently closed its doors due to lack of demand – and expand the campaign throughout Asia.