Mizoram stops dog slaughter after coronavirus pandemic

Mizoram government has recently dropped dogs from the list of animals allowed for slaughter by amending the Mizoram Animal Slaughter Act 2013.

But animal rights activists say the step is not enough and now wants action to completely stop sale and consumption of dog meat to prevent the spread of endemic diseases like coronavirus.

Welcoming the move by Mizoram Assembly recently, Humane Society International (HSI), India, an animal rights group on Tuesday said the state government must now act tough to stop sale and consumption of dog meat.

"This comes at a time when the world is facing a pandemic believed to have been caused by the trade in wild animals for consumption. In Mizoram we have witnessed dogs and other animals being transported and slaughtered in horrific conditions, violating India’s health regulations," Alokparna Sengupta, managing director of HSI/India said.

Sale and consumption of dog meat is rampant as Mizoram Animal Slaughter Act 2013 mentioned dogs as cattle and allowed its slaughter even as this was prohibited in the animal rights act in the country. This led Animal Welfare Board to warn the state government that it would go to court seeking amendment of the act and called it “illegal and unconstitutional provision”.

The consumption of dogs is prohibited under India’s food safety regulations. However, this is poorly enforced and thousands of dogs each year are illegally captured from the streets or stolen from their homes, stuffed into gunny bags with their mouth stitched or tied, and transported over many days to Mizoram districts. There have even been reports of dogs transported from neighboring countries such as Myanmar and Bangladesh. The cruel transport and slaughter of dogs violate several provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, the Indian Penal Code, and Food Safety and Standard Authority (FSSAI) regulations, the NGO said.

HSI/India, a former member of the State Animal Welfare Board of Mizoram, has been working to end the dog meat trade in Mizoram since 2016. It also helped in the rescue of more than 150 dogs from the brutal trade.

Around 30 million dogs and 10 million cats a year are killed across Asia for human consumption, with the trade most widespread in China, South Korea, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Viet Nam and parts of northern India. However, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore have dog meat bans in place, the NGO said.