Indon Mart Selling Dog And Cat Meat Shuts Down

Authorities on Friday announced the end of the "brutally cruel" dog and cat meat slaughter at a notorious animal market on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi following a years-long campaign by local activists and world celebrities, Mainichi Shimbun reported.

Photo Insert: About 30 million dogs were killed each year in China, South Korea, and many other Asian countries.

The Tomohon Extreme Market will become the first such market in Indonesia to go dog and cat meat-free, the anti-animal cruelty group Humane Society International (HSI) said.

Images of dogs and cats being bludgeoned and blow-torched while still alive had sparked outrage.

As much as 7% of Indonesians eat dogs, said Dog Meat Free Indonesia, mostly in North Sulawesi, North Sumatra, and East Nusa Tenggara, provinces that have majority Christian populations.

About 30 million dogs were killed each year in China, South Korea, and many other Asian countries, said Lola Webber, the HSI's Director of Campaign to End Dog Meat.

The permanent end of the slaughter and trade was announced on Friday by the Regional Secretary of the city of Tomohon, Edwin Roring.

HSI said they will be rescuing all the remaining live dogs and cats from the slaughterhouse suppliers and taking them to sanctuaries.

"We hope that Tomohon will be totally free from dog and cat meat trades," Roring said in his remarks. "We believe the way to reduce people's interest in consuming dog and cat meat in Tomohon is to stop selling it in markets."

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