At a conference on animal welfare in HCMC last weekend, Le Duc Chinh, coordinator of the Asia Canine Protection Alliance (ACPA) Vietnam, said that each year, 5 million dogs are killed for their meat in Vietnam.

ACPA statistics, which are based on surveys of dog meat restaurants around Vietnam, found that the country ranks second only to China (which kills 10 million canines annually) in consumption of dog meat, reports Tuoi Tre.

Chinh said that many of the dogs are sourced from Thailand, Laos and Cambodia in addition to the thriving illicit domestic market wherein canines are stolen from their owners.

To make matters worse, many are caught using iron rods or stun guns before being crammed into small cages and shipped off to restaurants.

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“We believe that the real number [of dogs killed] must be larger, because no country has regulations or laws that control the dog meat trade,” Chinh added.

Also at the conference was Vi Thao Nguyen, co-founder of Yeu Dong Vat, who said that addressing these issues is predicated upon better public understanding:

“The definition of animal welfare is still strange and vague in Vietnam,” Nguyen said. “Through this conference, I want to make the public understand more that any animal, any creature, needs to be satisfied with its basic welfare. Even if it is raised for food, it doesn’t deserve to suffer unnecessary pain.”

We couldn’t agree more.

[Tuoi Tre // Photo via Soidog]