DIMAPUR, July 2 - The Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) today appealed to the Nagaland Government to ban the sale, smuggling and consumption of dog meat in the State.
�We are once again hit by shock and horror at recent images that have emerged from �animal markets� in Dimapur where dogs are seen in terrified conditions, tied up in sacks (gunny bags), waiting at a wet market, for their illegal slaughter, trade and consumption as meat,� FIAPO executive director Varda Mehrotra stated in a release.
The FIAPO said it would gladly collaborate with the local authorities to bring more awareness about animal laws and initiate the process of change in the State. It hoped that the State Government would help in the effort by launching an awareness campaign against the demand for dog meat.
The FIAPO said it has been engaging with the State Government on the issue since 2016. It claimed that it had conducted several undercover probes into the dog meat trade in the region. The FIAPO maintained that the State Government was in the process of banning dog meat in 2016. However, nothing came of that.
The FIAPO said according to its findings, dogs are still regularly smuggled in Nagaland from Assam every day, often all the way from West Bengal too. It said the �dog catchers� in Assam who work for the smugglers, get about Rs 50 for a single dog. The same dog when sold at �wholesale price� in Nagaland costs Rs 1,000, it said.
The FIAPO is India�s leading animal protection body and works with over 160 member organisations, 200 supporter organisations and over 1,000 activists in more than 70 cities across India, the release added.
