Tourists wary about dog meat satay allegations in Bali

BALI - A man selling a popular meat snack called satay approaches tourists on the Indonesian Island of Bali.

They’re suspicious. And with good reason.

According to activists, holiday-makers on the island may be unknowingly eating dog meat.

Footage filmed in Bali by Animals Australia allegedly shows dogs being captured and prepared for satay.

And while dog meat isn’t banned here, the accusations that tourists are being misled has hit a nerve.

“People won’t come if they keep hearing the same story — people are eating dogs. And to buy dog in the street, when you are thinking you’re eating chicken or red meat, cow, fish, that to eat dog, no, no,” said Australian tourist Colin Carr.

Animals Australia says up to 100 thousand dogs are slaughtered for consumption every year in Bali using inhumane and unsanitary techniques.

They’re also said to be stolen and illegally sold to meat vendors for extra cash.

Claims the local government strongly denies.

“The news reports on social media are wrong, I have checked. The reports say dogs in Bali are killed brutally and sold as satay, this is not true, everything is not true,” said Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika.

But animal rights groups aren’t convinced and say the canine meat business is rampant but largely hidden.

They’re expected to meet with the Balinese government later this month to urge them to put an end the trade on the island. — Reuters