Eating dog meat - a controversial tradition in history

Dog meat is a complex issue that not only makes many Asians struggle to find solutions but also attract international attention.

Prior to 2018, the Korean government asked 12 Pyeongchang area dog meat restaurants to stop selling this dish during the event. The request associated with the grant makes the proposal more receptive, according to National Geographic.

But most restaurants do not stop doing business and make excuses for their customers' needs. This sparked a wave of criticism from some international visitors to the Olympics, triggering a debate about the issue of dog meat.

Is it legal to eat dog meat in Korea?

There are no legal regulations on the purchase and sale of dog meat in Korea, although this type of meat is officially classified as "disgusting" with snake meat. According to AFP, Koreans increasingly watch dogs as pets, so the tradition of eating dog meat is declining and in many cases becomes taboo, especially for the younger generation.

Koreans kill an estimated two million dogs a year to get meat, consuming 100,000 tons of dog meat, according to the Animal Welfare Institute in Washington, DC, USA. International humanitarian organizations estimate 30 million killed dogs as food around the world. In many parts of East Asia, this practice has been popular for many centuries.

Is eating dog meat legal in other countries?

Taiwan is the first place in Asia to ban the sale or consumption of dog and cat meat. The Taiwanese government banned the slaughtering of cats and dogs and traded meat in 1998. But after that, the purchase and sale of the catfish grew strongly. In April 2017, Taiwan adopted stricter regulations on penalties for those caught caught consuming cats and dogs, amounting to 8,500 USD. Taiwan also increased penalties for intentional injury to cats and dogs, including a $ 65,000 fine and two years in prison.

But worldwide, there are still many places where there is no clear regulation on slaughtering dog meat. Even in countries that prohibit this activity, the purchase and sale of dog meat is still widespread and not penalized."Countries that allow eating dogs are Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Korea, Cambodia, Laos and the Philippines, particularly the Philippines is limited to religious festivals" , Jill Robinson, founder and chairman Animals Asia Foundation, animal protection, said.

A dog is locked in a cage waiting for meat at the annual festival in Yulin, China.(Photo: BBC).

However, there are many signs of customary eating dog meat that are no longer popular. A poll in 2016 in China estimated that nearly 70% of people in the country have never tried dog meat. The 2014 poll in Korea showed that the vast majority of people rarely eat dog meat. The majority of young Koreans who ate dog meat said they accepted to eat because of pressure from older generations of the family.

Is eating dog meat only in Asia?

People eat dog meat around the world. According to archaeological evidence, some indigenous tribes in America eat dogs for thousands of years before Columbus set foot in the New World. For example, in 2011, a scientific study described a dog bone dated to more than 9,200 years found in preserved human feces in southwest Texas.

While most Westerners stopped eating dog meat centuries ago, the miserable situation often motivated adventurers like Roald Amundsen and his team to eat some dogs. In 1912, when the expedition arrived in Antarctica in a state of exhaustion and hunger, they remembered him of a Greenland hunter eating a dog pulling a car in the winter and following. Amundsen then commented that the dog meat was delicious.

In the United States, killing and eating dog meat is still legal in most states, although it is difficult to determine whether this practice is frequent, because dogs are a beloved pet and eating dog meat is forbidden. Cavalry in American society. The US government prohibits slaughterhouses from selling dog meat for business, but people can order this meat for their own use in 44 states.

Is eating dog meat cultural?

While some Native Americans eat dog meat, others consider it a great thing. Some tribes eat dog meat for sacred purposes. George Catlin, a 19th-century painter, each painting depicts the experience of participating in the Sioux Indian friendship rite, which serves a special dish of dog meat. The ritual commemorates the relationship between the members of the tribe through the sacrifice of their most loyal dog.

In Asian countries, especially Dong Nam Dung, dog meat is still a thriving business market and many people believe that food belongs to the cultural tradition. Some people believe that dog meat can cure many diseases or enhance blood pressure. Others see dogs as a cheap source of protein.

In Indonesia, the dog meat business is largely silent while the government does not control this activity. But experts say this business is growing. Dog meat is usually cheaper than beef or chicken, so it is more accessible to people.

In China, the interest in dog meat may be declining and more and more people start raising dogs like pets. However, about 10 million dogs are slaughtered in China each year, especially during the cold winter months, when dog meat is thought to warm the body.

Attempts to end the practice of eating dog meat

The international community has put pressure on ending dog meat business continuously for decades, Robinson said. But the change in the society of Asian countries has taken place recently."It was not until 10 - 15 years ago that local organizations spoke up about the problem of eating dog meat in their own country , " Robinson said.

For example, Animals Asia has partnered with local governments in China to prove that dogs for sale are often illegal, because there are no large-scale domestic dog farms today."Nearly 100% of dogs today are stealing in the streets and from people's homes, instead of buying and selling on dog farms like in the past," Robinson said.

The Chinese government is also increasingly confident that transporting dogs through the provinces can be a source of disease and bacteria."There are social factors here. Dog thieves are causing discord when stealing people's personal property , " Robinson said.

Famous dog meat festival in China

The festival of cloth and dog meat in Ngoc Lam, Guangxi, China is the annual festival born in 2010. Attracting the attention of the press around the world, this festival is well known for slaughtering goods. thousand dogs every year. In 2017, the Yulin city government considered banning the sale of dog meat in festivals after encountering many criticisms from the international community. But dog sellers put pressure on the authorities and the festival still took place as usual.

Millions of people signed an application to end the event. However, there are still people who protect cloth festivals and Ngoc Lam dog meat based on economic and cultural background.