Dogs trafficking in Thailand
If there are many places in the world where having a dog’s life is even harder than elsewhere, Thailand is unfortunately one of them. I love of this country but am still aware that they have to make progress in some areas, including in fighting traffic and bad treatment of animals. If for elephants, significant progresses have been made and commitments have been taken ​​recently, there is another large-scale trafficking concerning dogs. The country has many wandering dogs and in neighboring Vietnam, the animal is regularly consumed for it meat.
French actress Brigitte Bardot asked a few days ago in a letter released by her foundation, Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra to stop trafficking of dogs killed in illegal slaughterhouses for their meat and skin.“Tha Rae is an inhuman place where traffickers kill dogs for their meat and skin in illegal slaughterhouses after being savagely captured roadside or stolen from their owner”, Brigitte Bardot wrote in her letter saying also that each year nearly 100,000 dogs are killed and sent to Vietnam and almost as many exported alive. Already in 2011, the actress had sent a letter on the same matter to the King of Thailand.
Here is a report about that awful traffic in Thailand. You can support Brigitte action by sending a letter to Thai PM by mail at [email protected]
Note that the NetAP organization (Network for Animal protection) is working actively against this practice. Police pressurized by associations timidly begins to fight against the phenomenon and make some arrests. In a year and a half “they managed to save 12,000 animals” says Esther Geisser, Zurich NetAP member. Closely associated with the Thai Soi Dog Foundation you can support by sponsoring a dog (see on their site), Bardot Foundation and NetAP fight for a “human management” of wandering canine population in Thailand. But to save these dogs from fatal trip to Vietnam they do not have sufficient financial means. Note that often dogs centers are simply happy to have volunteers who give their time to care for the residents and give them a little affection. They generally stick small posters to recruit volunteers so if you see one and have time, do not hesitate!
