In the recent weeks, a truck figured in a minor accident that resulted in exposing its cargo... of dogs. Although the truck driver and helper wouldn't talk, the cops assumed that the dogs were intended for butchering. The truck originated in Laguna province and the destination is Pangasinan province, a trip of about 6 hours. The northern provinces are noted for their love of dog meat and in fact, dishes with dog meat are their delicacy. That's why the most expensive meat in that part of the country is dog meat.
It was already published and aired by some civic organizations like PAWS and PETA that butchering dogs is against the law and selling dog meat is likewise a crime. But the logical reason for the traffic of dogs to those provinces is the demand. Obviously, those dogs in the truck were stray dogs that were caught by those traffickers. The news added that the dogs in the said truck were submitted to PAWS for care. PAWS - Philippine Animal Welfare Society.
It begs belief and common sense why a person should consume dog meat. First, there is the issue of zoonosis. Due to their scavenging activities, dogs are exposed to more pathogens than cats though their immune systems are quite strong. Then there is this issue of the trophic level of the animal in question. Through domestication, dogs have embraced an omnivorous lifestyle but they are essentially carnivores judging by their dental formula. They belong to the third trophic level and these animals have less energy stored in their meat. Its an inversion of the food chain. In my country, similar cases have been reported though they don't involve dogs but donkeys. Donkey meat is being sold by passing it off as cattle meat. This has forced the authorities to mount an intensive crackdown on uninspected meat. Further, a donkey meat processing factory has been constructed geared towards exporting the same. It remains to be seen what effect this will have on donkeys. But dogs are more useful in a host of other ways as to bestow them the quality of being edible. It pains one's heart that dogs are intelligent enough to guess the date of their compatriots and therefore spend their lives in apprehension at what their best friend will do next.
People's idealism will change but never their survival instincts. I hate to think that people up north are this hungry that they keep on eating dog meat despite the fact that there's already a law against it. But because dog meat is widely available, it's the cheapest they can afford. Also, it's something drinkers will have just to have anything with their alcohol. Personally, I wish they would stop but can you really blame them if there's nothing else for them to eat? Can we really impose what we think on other people whose bellies scream louder than their heads? I can understand if there's food shortage but if they're merely trying to satisfy cravings, that's a whole different story.
