The Asia Canine Protection Alliance (ACPA) has been set up with a view to put an end the dog meat trade responsible for the slaughter of some 5 million dogs for human consumption per year. The ACPA was established by a number of animal protection organizations, which warned that such slaughtering must be prevented since it also poses a risk to human health. The organization now focuses its activities on many dog meat hot spots in the world and the transportation of dogs from Thailand, Cambodia and Laos into Vietnam where they are slaughtered and consumed. The ACPA comprises such organizations as the Change For Animals Foundation, Humane Society International, Animals Asia and Soi Dog Foundation, all of which are operating both locally, in Asia, and internationally.

The World Health Organization recently cited the uncontrolled trade of dogs as a contributing factor to recent outbreaks of cholera in Vietnam and rabies in Indonesia. “Investigations throughout Asia have documented severe cruelty at all stages of the dog meat trade, including sourcing, transport, sale and slaughter,” Change For Animals Foundation cited Kelly O’Meara, director of companion animals and engagement, Humane Society International, as saying. Kelly also said that the trade in dogs for meat is often perceived as a way to control stray and roaming dogs but this simply is not true. This new alliance will help the people and governments of Asia understand the harmful trade and work to eliminate rabies and other communicable diseases humanely and effectively, Kelly said.

Tuan Bendixsen, Vietnam director, Animals Asia, was quoted by Change For Animals Foundation as saying, “The trade in dogs for meat encourages the large-scale and illegal movement of dogs of unknown disease and vaccination status, and is impeding rabies elimination efforts in the region, posing a significant risk to the pledge made by the health ministers of Southeast Asia to eliminate rabies by 2020.” Tuan emphasized that efforts to control and eliminate rabies will fail unless the trade in dogs for human consumption is addressed.