Australian tourists tricked into eating dog meat in Bali, authorities launch investigation

Authorities in Bali, Indonesia have launched an investigation after it was revealed that Australian tourists were being tricked into eating dog meat.

Police officers in Bali's Jembrana district seized at least 500 dog meat skewers and 56 kilogrammesof raw dog meat from numerous sellers after conducting a surprise inspection.

Dewa Nyoman Rai Dharmadi, head of the Bali Public Order Agency, said his team found three vendors peddling dog meat, defying local regulations that prohibit the sale, according to the news agency AFP

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Dewa said theywere only pursuing minor criminal cases for repeat offenders because they wanted to give dog meat sellers a chance to overhaul their businesses.

"We won't suddenly take legal action, but we are giving them the chance to know the ban and why it was banned," said Dewa.

"But we will process recurrent(sellers) for deterrent effect. We’re not playing around,” he added.

Watch |South Korea passes bill to ban dog meat, to be outlawed from 2027

Dog meat ban enforced

According to Article 28(1)A of theBali Provincial Regulation Number 5 of 2023, engaging in the distribution, sale, or purchase of dog meatis classified as a criminal offence, punishable by a maximum imprisonment of three months and can incur a monetary penalty.

The dog meat scandal first broke out in 2016 and since then, there have been calls to ban its sale and consumption on the tourist island. While the ban has been implemented in Bali, albeit loosely, the rest of the country has yet to follow suit.

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country and Islam considers eating dog products as haram, or forbidden. Yet, as much as seven per cent of Indonesians eat dog and cat meat, according toMeat Free Indonesia.

The practice of eating dog meat is popular in North Sulawesi, North Sumatra, and East Nusa Tenggara provinces, where most of the population identifies as Christian.

Earlier this year, South Korea passed a landmark bill that bans thecenturies-old controversial practice of eating and selling dog meat across the country.

The bill received bipartisan support across the divided political landscape of South Korea, suggesting animal welfare had taken precedence.The legislation states thattheSouth Korean dog meat industry will officially end in 2027.

(With inputs from agencies)