Dog meat being sold as chicken to tourists in Bali

Visitors of the Indonesian island of Bali are reportedly eating dog meat unknowingly.

Animal protection organization Animals Australia found out that dogs are killed and sold to tourists in Bali, who think they are eating chicken.

Around 70 restaurants across the island, along with Bali street food vendors were responsible for selling dog meat.

The dogs are often neglected and “dumped in bamboo crates or plastic rice sacks,” said Animals Australia on their official website.

“Terrified dogs await the nightly slaughter with legs tied and mouths taped shut,” they added.

In comments to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Animals Australia’s campaign director Lyn White said that killing dogs or other animals is against the law in Bali, however, eating dog meat is not illegal.

“The dog-meat trade breaches animal cruelty laws and food safety laws. That is a statement of fact,” she added.

White said that tourists are misled into believing that they are eating “satay” chicken.

“Tourists will walk down a street, they’ll see a street store selling satay but what they are not realizing is the letters RW on the store mean it is dog meat being served,” she added.

The animal protection organization also relied on an undercover investigator who was able to infiltrate Bali’s dog trade.

The undercover investigator said that the people behind the dog-meat industry, “stole, hunted, poisoned and killed dogs.”

The dogs are not the only ones at risk in such situation. According to New South Wales Poisons Information Centre director Dr. Andrew Dawson, the people who eat dog meat can suffer from nausea, muscle aches, and shortness of breath.

In comments to the British online newspaper, The Independent, Dawson added that there is a possibility that the dog meat sold to tourist is poisoned.

He added that the food could include “bits of the animal stomach or the heart,” meaning that visitors could expect high concentrations of cyanide, a poisonous and potentially deadly chemical.

Organizations in Bali are starting to take action, such as non-profit organization Bali Animal Welfare Association.