With powerful new public banners across key areas in Bali, Lady Freethinker and Bali Animal Welfare Association (BAWA) are taking a stand against the illegal dog meat trade. Supported by local law enforcement, these banners send a clear and urgent message: animal cruelty and dog meat trading are crimes under Indonesian law – and those responsible will be held accountable.
Every year across Indonesia, millions of dogs endure unimaginable cruelty to supply the illegal dog meat trade. Investigations have exposed the brutal methods behind this industry – from the theft of family pets and street dogs, to their transport in suffocating sacks or cages, and the horrific conditions they face before slaughter.
Many of these dogs are crammed so tightly they cannot move, with their mouths bound shut, barely able to breathe. They endure long, agonizing journeys by motorbike or truck to slaughterhouses and markets. Tragically, many die en route from suffocation, dehydration, or heatstroke. For those who survive, the nightmare continues: forced to watch other dogs being slaughtered, waiting in fear for their own brutal end.
In Bali, this cruelty persists despite critical progress. In July 2017, after years of tireless campaigning by the BAWA, the Governor of Bali signed the nation’s first-ever regulation explicitly banning the dog meat trade. This landmark ban made it illegal to trade or slaughter dogs for human consumption, with penalties including up to three months’ imprisonment or fines of up to 50 million rupiah ($3,000).
But despite this legal victory, enforcement remains weak, and the underground trade continues.
That’s why Lady Freethinker has partnered with BAWA to support their on-the-ground work – helping raise vital public awareness, strengthen community action, and mobilize communities and law enforcement. With the support of local law enforcement, Lady Freethinker and BAWA have installed banners across key locations, educating communities on animal protection laws and urging residents to report illegal activities.
Public awareness banners installed by BAWA and Lady Freethinker warn that dog meat trading and animal cruelty are crimes punishable by law. In English, the banners read: “WARNING! The dog meat trade and animal abuse are against the law. Perpetrators will be prosecuted under the laws in force in Indonesia.”
The Fight Continues
Despite the ban, every day BAWA’s hotline receives reports of dogs disappearing, found poisoned, or discovered dead in markets or beaches – many linked to dog meat traders or misguided attempts to control rabies. Stronger enforcement and continued public vigilance to break the cycle of cruelty are vital.
We have seen first-hand victims of the dog meat trade, and the terror in their eyes is a haunting reminder of the cruelty they endure – cruelty that has no excuse.
Together, with continued public support, Lady Freethinker and BAWA are determined to create a safer, kinder future for Bali’s dogs.
