Bali seizes illegal dog meat as Aussies tricked into eating ‘skewers’

Indonesian officials confiscated hundreds of cooked skewers and raw dog meat amid a crackdown on the illegal trade. WARNING: Distressing content.

Officials in Bali have seized hundreds of skewers and dozens of kilograms of raw dog meat despite the trade being banned in the tourist hotspot. 

The crackdown on horrific trade comes years after activist group Animals Australia first began warning that tourists were being tricked into unknowingly eating dog meat skewers.

The shocking racket steals, bludgeons and poisons dogs before selling them as food. While it exists in other parts of the country, the Indonesian resort island officially banned the sale in 2023 after sustained pressure from animal rights groups. Offenders face up to three months in prison or up to 50 million rupiah ($3064) fines if found guilty.

Balinese cafe serving dog meat: Picture: Supplied

Balinese cafe serving dog meat in 2017, when the trade was still legal. Picture: Supplied

During inspections this week authorities found three dog meat sellers who were still carrying out their activities in violation of the local regulation, Bali Public Order Agency head Dewa Nyoman Rai Dharmadi said.

They seized 500 dog meat skewers from a seller in the Jembrana district and 56 kilograms of raw dog meat from another seller in the same district.

The dog satay seller only received a warning because he had not been caught trading before, while the other two sellers were deemed repeat offenders and had minor criminal offences filed against them at a local court.

Authorities were only pursuing minor criminal cases for repeat offenders because they wanted to give dog meat sellers a chance to overhaul their businesses, Dewa said.

Bali’s horrific dog meat trade has returned to the island paradise a year after it was banned. Picture: Supplied

“We won’t suddenly take legal action, but we are giving them the chance to know the ban and why it was banned,” said Dewa.

“But we will process recurrent (sellers) for deterrent effect. We’re not playing around.”

The two sellers will stand trial next month.

Indonesia is one of a handful of countries that still permit the sale of dog and cat meat, but a campaign against the practice has been gaining ground, with some cities including Semarang in Java imposing local bans on the trade in recent years.

– with AFP