You Can Help End The Dog Meat Trade!
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Dear ,
I have just returned from Nakhom Phanom an attractive provincial town lying on the banks of the Mekong River, across which lies Laos with beautiful mountains in the background.
It is because of its location and the numerous crossing points to Laos that it is very much a part of the dog smuggling trade. This trade is centered on a village called Ta Rae in neighbouring Sakon Nakhorn province around 100 kms from Nakhom Phanom. It is in effect run by a mafia and like all mafia run operations it thrives because of corruption.
Dogs are collected from a wide area. Many are stolen pets. Others are purchased from local poor farmers in exchange for a plastic bucket.
Dogs are generally driven in trucks, each truck carries approximately 500 dogs and the location for the crossing is changed regularly. Up to 40 people will unload the crates onto waiting boats for the short crossing to Laos where they are loaded onto other trucks for the drive to Hanoi.
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Dogs are packed alive into small crates as many as 15 per crate. Many suffocate en route and are in effect the lucky ones. The fate awaiting them in Vietnam is generally a slow and painful death.
It is estimated that anywhere between 300,000 and 600,000 dogs fall victim each year.
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Of the approximately 2,000 dogs seized in the latest raids there are as of 17-September 880 survivors though this includes puppies born on site. It is clear that many are pets and virtually all are friendly. One of the worst sights is seeing people driving often long distances looking for their pets. As of now only 20 have been reunited with their owners.
The current death rate is around 10 per day from injuries and disease as there has been an outbreak of distemper. The veterinary staff and other workers on site are doing magnificent work in extremely difficult circumstances. There are also concerns that many weaker dogs will die once winter sets in as this area of Thailand does get cold at night in the winter months. Many already have chest infections and other conditions caused by the damp. At weekends additional volunteer vets from Bangkok and elsewhere supplement the regular staff but during the week the number of vets is falling. Soi Dog has contacted the World Veterinary Services in the UK to try and organise additional teams, subject to approval by the Thai authorities.
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Thais in Bangkok are trying to get some of the dogs adopted. Soi Dog is looking to get some adopted and the most needy out. Care for Dogs in Chiang Mai have also offered to help. Logistically it is extremely difficult. The authorities are not releasing the dogs readily as they constitute evidence and getting them to Bangkok initially involves 10 hours by road and spending a few nights in a clinic there. From Bangkok the dogs can be transported to Phuket but our available space like Care For Dogs is very limited, and the total costs per dog high.
We are receiving many offers particularly from the US to adopt dogs but of course the cost of sending there is high unless we can find volunteers who are travelling West to East as most airlines have fixed low prices for accompanied animals.
Long term the issue will need continued local and international pressure if this insidious trade is to be stopped. Please click on the video below to learn about Sabai, one of the survivors.
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Your ongoing support is needed now both to address the current situation and to bring this inhumane and barbaric practice to an end. Will you give just pennies a day to help? Only with your help can this be stopped.
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Thank you for taking action in bringing the dog meat trade to an end once and for all.
Sincerely,
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John Dalley
john@soidog.org
http://www.soidog.org
P.S. The full length Soi Dog's documentary is now available for online viewing at: Soi Dog's The Documentary.
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