The dog and cat meat trade in INDIA (Asia):
Food safety regulations prohibit the consumption of dog meat in India. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act in India prohibits the infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering on animals. The Transport of Animals Rules of 1978 institutes strict standards on how animals can be transported, including dogs and cats. Dog meat traders openly flaunt these laws, with approximately 30,000 dogs being slaughtered each year for human consumption at live animal markets in Nagaland and other northeastern states in India. Local authorities in Nagaland fail to enforce these laws. (Humane Society International, 2016, India’s brutal dog meat trade exposed as Humane Society International launches campaign to end “Nagaland Nightmare”) Dog and cat meat is sold alongside other packaged meat in Kolkata, India, which is India’s second biggest city. (Sen, 2020, How Safe is Our Food?)
Many of the dogs in the meat trade in India are pet dogs. The dogs are smuggled between states in India. (Humane Society International, 2016, India’s brutal dog meat trade exposed as Humane Society International launches campaign to end “Nagaland Nightmare”)
The dogs are hogtied in sacks, with their mouths either sewn shut or tightly bound with a rope to keep them quiet. (Humane Society International, 2016, India’s brutal dog meat trade exposed as Humane Society International launches campaign to end “Nagaland Nightmare”) Dogs are often bludgeoned many times for long periods of time before they die. Some dogs are killed in underground “death pits.” (Humane Society International, 2016, India’s brutal dog meat trade exposed as Humane Society International launches campaign to end “Nagaland Nightmare”)
Cats are also eaten in India, but mostly in the southern part. Some people believe cat meat has medicinal properties and is an aphrodisiac. Cats are caught with long-handled snares and put in bags where they are beaten. Some cats are boiled alive. Cats in southern India are sometimes captured because they are unwanted or to control their populations. Help Animals India has a trap, spay, neuter, and release program in Bangalore, southern India, to help control the population of cats. (Help Animals India, 2020, Help stop the dog and cat meat “trade”)
India is considered a high-risk area for rabies from dogs. (CDC, 2021, High-Risk Countries for Dog Rabies)
The dog and cat meat trade in BANGLADESH (Asia):
Bangladesh is considered a high-risk area for rabies from dogs. (CDC, 2021, High-Risk Countries for Dog Rabies)
**We are still researching the dog and cat meat trade in Bangladesh and will update this document when new information is found.
Please see the bibliography page for the citations given on this page.