"We were told by many for many years, you'll never change North Sulawesi, you'll never change Tomohon. it is impossible," Webber said.In July, Tomohon's mayor, Caroll Senduk, signed a law banning dog and cat meat trading at the market, and the market's meat traders signed an agreement to permanently stop selling, slaughtering and trafficking dogs and cats, according to Humane Society International.
A live dog can cost up to $40, and one that has already been killed is priced from $2.30 to $4 per kilogram, said Frank Delano Manus of Animal Friends Manado Indonesia.To combat this, the Dog Meat Free Indonesia coalition is supporting programs to spay, neuter and vaccinate dogs and cats in Indonesia, said Webber.
In those areas, activists raise public awareness of the cruelty of the trade and the trafficking that goes along with it, which often involves the theft of family pets.Poor governance "When people ask me what's the number one problem in Indonesia, I always say it's the lack of law enforcement," Manus told CNBC.
Rescued animals being transported by members of the Humane Society International to a care and rehabilitation center on July 21, 2023, in North Sulawesi, Indonesia."In Vietnam, every third shop is a pet grooming salon, every fifth shop is a pet supply store, but every twentieth shop is a slaughterhouse or a restaurant that is selling dog or cat meat," he told CNBC, adding that it's eaten for cultural, superstitious and medicinal purposes.