The global animal welfare organization FOUR PAWS has launched a new campaign called “This is not Vietnam”, which aims to show that the majority of Vietnamese are against the cruel and barbaric trade in which dogs and cats are killed for their meat.
Among other things, the campaign calls on the public to send a short message via email or other means to the Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam, His Excellency Vu Duc Dam. This is intended to make clear the current mood in the population for an end to the dog and cat meat trade.
Every year around ten million dogs and cats are captured, transported and killed for their meat in Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia.
The majority of the animals in the dog and cat meat trade are stolen pets and strays. The scale of this cruel trade makes it one of the most massive animal welfare problems for pets in Asia.
A survey carried out in early 2021 found that the majority of the Vietnamese population is calling for the government to take action.
91% are in favor of restricting or banning the dog and cat meat trade.
When asked if they would support a trade ban, 88% of people answered yes.
Furthermore, 95% of those questioned stated that in their opinion the consumption of dog and cat meat was not part of Vietnamese culture.
This campaign comes at a pivotal moment in the country’s history as Vietnam’s perception and reputation of the dog and cat meat trade are changing, and the government now has the chance to act.
A new generation of Vietnamese citizens join us in calling for us to break with the past and ensure that animal welfare is at the center of the change that Vietnam is currently undergoing.
Although progress may seem slow, there are already many changes in Vietnam.
Just this month, thanks to the cooperation of local authorities, the first city in Vietnam, Hoi An, committed to ending the trade in dog and cat meat.
However, there is still much to be done.
Our goal is to have stricter animal welfare laws put in place and enforced to put an end to this brutal trade.
This not only protects animals, but also people.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how dangerous the trade in live animals, including dogs and cats, is for meat.
“By protecting animals, we are also protecting public health. Prevention is the key to this, ”says Dr. Karan Kukreja, director of the FOUR PAWS pet campaigns in Southeast Asia.
A current FOUR PAWS petition addressed to the governments of Vietnam, Indonesia and Cambodia calling for an end to the dog and cat meat trade has already been signed over 1.4 million times*
Almost 250,000 signatures come from Vietnam.
FOUR PAWS wants to end the dog and cat meat trade once and for all by working with governments, supporting local stray aid projects, closing dog and cat slaughterhouses and rescuing the animals there, as well as educating people about the dangers of the trade.
Petition: https://help.four-paws.org/vi-VN/node/1876
*Petition: https://help.four-paws.org/de-DE/stoppe-den-hunde-und-katzenfleischhandel-s%C3%BCdostasien
And I mean…The first city, the most popular with tourists in Vietnam, now bans dog and cat meat.
That is a very big step, more will follow.
An estimated five million dogs and one million cats are consumed in Vietnam each year – the highest figure after China.
In contrast to the local dog meat trade, hunting, slaughtering and consuming cats was explicitly prohibited in Vietnam until January 2020.
However, the law has been abolished and cat meat is more in demand than ever – especially in the north of the country.
In the elderly, consumption is mostly related to customs, superstitions and the lunar calendar.
Some locals believe that eating cat meat wards off bad luck.
Others eat the meat – especially black cats – because they believe it has healing properties- that it is a simple folk stupidity.
Everywhere in Vietnam violent arguments are taking place between professional dog catchers, who sell man’s best friend for good money to restaurants, and angry dog owners.
They are increasingly fed up with the fact that the police can hardly do anything and are resorting to vigilante justice more and more.
Angry crowds in the villages were already rushing after thieves and beat them to death, one of whom the mob set on fire and left him lying on the roadside as a warning.
Dogs or cats are not the better or nicer animals than poultry, cattle, chickens, ducks or pigs – there is no difference!
They also have feelings and none of these animals are “humanely” slaughtered.
So instead of getting upset that dogs and cats are being eaten somewhere and declaring war on other peoples because they eat the “cute” pets, everyone should check their own disgusting eating habits.
In the year 2021, soon 22 there is no longer any reason to promote animal exploitation and animal murder and everyone should stop consuming the meat of ANY animal -> the future is VEGAN!
My best regards to all, Venus
World Animals Voice 