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Authorities in Indonesia’s capital are preparing to issue a new law to ban the consumption and trade of dog and cat meat to curb rabies and advance animal welfare.

Jakarta governor Pramono Anung announced earlier this month the law will make it illegal to sell or serve dog and cat meat in the capital, a move which has been widely welcomed by animal rights activists.

While cat meat is consumed in some parts of Indonesia, it is far less compared to the scale of consumption of dog meat, according to reports. But demand for dog meat, which is also locally known as “Scooby Doo”, after the mystery-solving Great Dane from the popular cartoon series of the same name, has declined in recent years due to the younger generation’s penchant for keeping dogs as pets.

Last week, the governor told reporters, “The dog meat trade situation in Jakarta is very concerning and urgent action is needed to ban it”, after meeting representatives of the Dog Meat Free Indonesia (DMFI) organisation. “As a global city, Jakarta should not accommodate such practices,” he said.

An estimated 9,500 dogs are slaughtered per month in Jakarta for consumption, according to DMFI. Almost 97 per cent of these dogs are transported illegally from West Java, where rabies remains endemic, it added.

This picture taken on January 6, 2024 shows activists from Animals Hope Shelter Indonesia checking a truck containing hundreds of dogs intended for consumption after it was seized by police in Semarang (AFP via Getty Images)

Veterinarian Merry Ferdinandez, the chief operating officer of Jakarta Animal Aid Network, told The Straits Times that of Indonesia’s 38 provinces, only 11, including Jakarta, are free of rabies cases.

If the trade in dog meat is not curbed, the country may not have any more rabies-free provinces, she added.

“We are confident Jakarta’s decision would be replicated by other regions across Indonesia because Jakarta is very influential and a bellwether for the country as it is the capital city,” she said.

The DMFI said the trafficked dogs, many of them pets, are packed tightly into cages and transported long distances without food or water, then slaughtered in unregulated facilities. These dogs are “often beaten to death or burned alive”, according to the organisation.

But Mr Anung’s action has also sparked outrage among a small community of people in Jakarta who sell and consume dishes made out of dog meat.

While the decision has mostly received praise, some restaurateurs and customers have called the proposed ban unfair. Consumers argue that the dog meat is part of the local tradition and is often consumed by patients suffering from dengue, with the popular but unfounded belief that it would boost platelet levels.

In January last year, the South Korean parliament passed a bill banning the sale of dog meat, outlawing the fading centuries-old practice. The law will take effect after a three-year grace period to phase out the industry, effectively ending the trade by 2027.