Nagaland may ban dog meat

In a move that might bring in lot of opposition from the different Naga tribes, Nagaland is contemplating a ban on dog meat, a local delicacy.

Although the state Cabinet is yet to give its final approval to this landmark decision, highly places sources in the state administration have indicated that municipal and urban government bodies have been asked to sensitise the local markets about the likely move and start the process towards a carpet ban. The Nagaland government has been discussing this idea after it received a legal notice from an advocate from Assam, N M Kapadia.

The advocate, in his notice, argued that dog meat was openly sold as food, just as chicken and mutton, while all the parts of a dog’s body are used as food under the impression that it contains iron and has medicinal value.

On receiving the legal notice, the state government convened a high-level meeting and arrived at a decision that while the matter would be placed in the state Cabinet, efforts will be made to ban selling of dog meat in the markets. The chief secretary’s office has issued a directive to all the urban local bodies (ULBs) of the state, sources added.

The municipal affairs department has been asked to give wide publicity to treat animals with care and love, sources further added.

In Nagaland, dog meat is in high demand, so much so that illegal dog trafficking rackets work in the state. Dog meat goes for Rs 300 per kg and is a must in any traditional occasion among the Naga tribes.