The Thai government has announced steps to end the dog meat trade in Thailand through new legislation and public education campaigns. However, representatives agree that corruption could undermine these efforts. Soi Dog Foundation, which works to help homeless dogs in Thailand, supports this initiative but believes stronger penalties and investigations of trade leaders are still needed given corruption. They are also working with other animal welfare groups in the region to end the dog meat trade across Southeast Asia due to concerns over disease transmission, particularly rabies.

1. Thai Government announced steps
to end the dog meat trade
By MahCacciola | Posted December 9, 2012 | Bangkok, Thailand
The Thai Government has announced steps to end the dog meat and skin trade in
Thailand.
At a seminar held in Bangkok at the Royal Navy Auditorium, participants
including representatives from the Royal Thai Navy, the Canine Police Force, the
Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Social Development and Human security, the
Ministry of Public Health and the Department of Livestock Development agreed to
a request that the prime minister declare a national agenda to end the trade of dogs
in Thailand, destined for human consumption.
They also suggested education programs and campaigns to instill a sense of
responsibility and social conscience in Thai People.
Mr.NirandornEungtrakulsuk former chief of the Department of Livestock
Development and chairman of the Thai Veterinary Medical Association stated that

2. whilst he believed the new law to improve animal welfare and fight cruelty to
animals will help tackle the problem at a certain level it would not be enough to
eradicate the illegal trade because corruption is rampant in Thailand.
Soi Dog Foundation (SDF) welcomes this initiative which it believes has been
brought about by local and international pressure for Thailand to enforce current
legislation, which makes it illegal to export live dogs without export licenses and
health certificates. However SDF agrees with Mr.Nirandorn that the level of
corruption associated with the trade will make it difficult for the authorities to
stamp it out.
Soi Dog agrees with Police Lt. Col ChatchaiSetthiphanian of the Canine Police
Force that harsher penalties should be imposed against dog smugglers. The current
legislation allows for up to 2 years imprisonment and/or a 40,000 THB fine, but no
such penalty has ever been imposed. Thailand‟s Animals Epidemic Act 1999,
Chapter 4, Section 21 & 21(b)
Soi Dog also believes that the Special Investigation Bureau should be called in to
investigate the known leaders of the trade, one of whom has stated that the trade
earns them 1 billion THB per year, of course tax free. It has also been suggested
that the dog meat trade may also be masking drug trafficking and the illegal trade
in wildlife.
SDF has full details of the leaders and they make no secret of their involvement.
In SakonNakorn, the key province involved in the trade in North-East Thailand, in
recognition of the high levels of corruption in the province, the government
introduced a four-year anti-corruption plan in 2009. This is due to expire at the end
of 2012 and could be used as an opportunity to include specific directives aimed at
tackling the dog meat trade.
Soi Dog is working with agents in both Thailand and Laos to provide information
on planned smuggling operations, and is passing this information on to the
authorities. However, there is concern that the decrease in illegal exports from
Thailand has resulted in an increase in the number of dogs being collected from
Laos to supply the demand.
Soi Dog is in discussions with other regional animal welfare groups including the
Singapore based Change for Animals, the Animals Asia Foundation and the
Humane Society International regarding the establishment of a coalition of animal
protection groups uniting to end the dog meat trade throughout the region.
ASEAN member states (including Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia) and
the “Plus Three” countries (China, Japan and South Korea) have pledged their
support for the „Call for Action towards the Elimination of Rabies‟ in their
respective countries by the year 2020.
By allowing the trade to continue they are in effect ignoring the recommendations
of leading organizations committed to eradicating rabies, including the United

3. Nations public health arm, the World Heath Organization (WHO), as the trade
facilitates the spread of the disease.
They will be calling for the respective governments to cooperate in closing their
borders to live dogs. Dogs are responsible for an estimated 99% of human rabies
cases in the region.
In Vietnam, a study to determine the molecular epidemiology of the rabies virus
was conducted where brain samples were collected from 100 dogs in
slaughterhouses in Northern provinces, and a further 76 samples were collected
from Southern provinces.
Laboratory analysis confirmed that 2.0% of samples collected from the Northern
provinces and 16.4% from the Southern and highland provinces were infected with
rabies virus. Molecular epidemiological analysis suggest that rabies viruses may
have independently entered Vietnam from several countries such as Thailand, and
may have then established and spread throughout Vietnam.
This research highlights the risk the movement of large numbers of unvaccinated
dogs across borders poses to rabies control in the region. This risk was recognized
by the local government of Lao Cai Province in northern Vietnam in June 2011,
when the trade and slaughter of dogs was suspended in response to an outbreak of
rabies. In addition the Public Health authority in Vietnam has identified a clear link
between outbreaks of Cholera in the country with the dog meat industry.
The unregulated transportation of dogs across much of Thailand is also posing a
risk of the spread of rabies within Thailand. SDF has evidence of dogs being
collected as far as south as Nakhon Si Thammarat, a distance of some 1400 Km
from the holding centers in SakhonNakhon province.
A statement by a Ministry of Public Health representative claiming that dog meat
is only eaten in Thailand in SakonNakhon province is not correct. SDF has
evidence of dog meat openly on sale in other provinces including Chiang Mai.
The total number of dogs intercepted since August 2011 is quoted as 9,042.
Whether this includes the 1968 dogs “rescued” from a holding center in Ban Tha
Rae district is not clear. What is clear is that fewer than 80 of these dogs survive
today and around 75% of the intercepted dogs have died at the livestock centers.
Why? The Department of Livestock Development which has been given
responsibility for caring for the confiscated dogs, has been given no budget to do
so. The current population of around 2,500 dogs is housed in four centers, the vast
majority in NakhonPhanom and Khemmarat. Smaller numbers of dogs are housed
at Buriram, Thong PhaPhum and now Petchaboon livestock centers including the
less than 80 survivors of the raid on the Tha Rae holding center, currently at Thong
PhaPhum.

4. As of November this year NakhonPhanom has a reported 7 million THB remaining
of the fund set up by the former Governor of the province following the first
interception in August 2011. The remaining centers have no budget at all and SDF
is currently providing food, medical supplies and basic equipment such as pressure
washers to the centers. However this type of aid is unsustainable and SDF calls
upon the Government to adequately provide for what are in effect innocent victims
of criminal activities.
At present it would appear the policy is to allow the dogs to die of starvation and
disease.
A full investigative report commissioned by SDF on this latter issue can be seen at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WSQExWtFVM&feature=youtu.be
About Soi Dog Foundation
Soi Dog Foundation is a not-for-profit, legally registered charitable organization,
which helps the homeless, neglected and abused dogs and cats of Thailand.
Helping the neglected and abused dogs and cats through veterinary treatment,
desexing and by dog & cat sponsorships.
For more information contact Marcelo Cacciola
Soi Dog Foundation USA
E-mail : marcelo@soidog.org
Skype: marcelocacciola
Website: www.soidog.org
Facebook : www.facebook.com/SoiDogPageInEnglish
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/SoiDogFoundation
Twitter : www.twitter.com/soidogphuket
The Soi Dog Foundation USA is a US registered 501(c) (3) charitable organization
(tax ID # 27-1600444). All donations are deductible to the fullest extent allowable
by law.