Do They Eat Dog Meat In Thailand?

Thailand
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The consumption of dog meat is highly frowned upon in Western society, as dogs are seen as companions and pets rather than food. However, the Asian continent has built up a controversial reputation for treating dogs as food rather than pets. Is Thailand a country that eats dog meat?

Eating dog meat is not popular in Thailand. Most Thai people are against the killing and eating of dogs. The consumption of dog meat is confined to small communities in Northern Thailand. Killing dogs has been illegal since 2014, reducing the rate of consumption of dog meat in small communities.

Related: Do They Eat Rats In Thailand?

Do They Eat Dogs In Thailand?

The Asian continent has built up the reputation of eating strange animals. Tourists will often walk around the streets and notice vendors selling cooked scorpions, snakes, spiders, and insects. 

However, what troubles visitors the most is the idea that people in Asia are fond of dog meat. So, should tourists heading to Thailand expect to see dog meat being sold in restaurants or on the streets? 

Tourists will be happy to know that most Thai people do not eat dog meat. There is nearly no chance that visitors in Thailand will find dog meat on their plates, as killing or eating dogs is now illegal.

There was a time when people in Thailand ate eating dog meat. However, this practice was confined to the northeast provinces of the country. The people inhabiting the villages in northeast Thailand are immigrants from the neighboring country of Vietnam. 

In contrast to Thailand, eating dog meat is more common in Vietnam, so these Vietnamese migrants (now Thai) had no problem with the consumption of dog meat. 

Their reasoning for killing and eating dogs is mostly attributed to population control of stray dogs. In addition, they claim to only eat aggressive dogs that cause trouble to the community and disturb the Buddhist temples. 

It Is Now Illegal To Kill And Eat Dogs In Thailand

It should be noted that eating dog meat has never been part of Thai tradition and cuisine. The practice of eating dogs has been isolated in communities of northeastern Thailand. The northeastern province of Sakon Nakhon houses former Vietnamese who came to Thailand due to the war. 

However, the killing, trading, eating, and general mistreatment of dogs were only outlawed in 2014. Moreover, this ban is not only confined to dogs, but it also applies to cats and several other animals.

This law, significantly punishing people who cause harm to animals, is the first to be passed in Thailand. The new law introduced much harsher fines and jail time for anyone who traffics, eats, or kills dogs.

Before 2014, traffickers caught transporting dogs without holding a permit (allowing them to transport or kill dogs) were handed a negligible fine or just one month in jail. Nowadays, offenders can receive fines up to the equivalent of one thousand two hundred dollars or be put in jail for two years.

Is Dog Trafficking Common In Thailand?

Generally, people are familiar with the illegal trade of exocytic animals or drugs, as this is what catches the headlines. However, dog trafficking is a serious issue within the Asian continent. 

Though eating dogs is illegal and generally not practiced by Thai people, there is still a problem with trafficking dogs to other Asian countries where eating dogs is not illegal and the demand for dog meat is high.  

In Thailand, stray, stolen and bought dogs are brought to the country’s northeast region, where they are put in cages awaiting to be illegally shipped to Laos and later on to northern Vietnam, where they are killed and eaten. 

Thousands of dogs can be part of a single illegal shipment. Thai people from poor communities are inclined to take the risk of trafficking dogs, as it is quite profitable. A dog in Thailand is sold for around ten dollars, while they are sold for a hundred in Vietnam.

Before the 2014 ban, the state of dog trafficking in Thailand was significantly worse than it is now. Since the ban, law enforcement has conducted raids and sting operations in the forests of northern Thailand, freeing thousands of dogs and arresting many traffickers.

Which Countries Eat The Most Dog Meat?

Asia is famous for eating dog meat, so it should come as no surprise that this is the continent where dog meat consumption is the most common in the world. Unfortunately, tens of millions of dogs are consumed in Asia every year.

However, there is good news in that the trend seems to be shifting. The practice of dog eating is reducing in popularity in several Asian countries. The younger generation, where dog eating is common, is beginning to see dogs as pets rather than food.

Tourists visiting Thailand should not expect to come across dog meat; however, there is a chance that tourists visiting China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, South Korea, and others will come across dog meat. 

Fortunately, dog consumption is not widespread in the countries mentioned above. Most of the time, dog consumption takes place in areas that mainstream tourists do not travel to. 

Visitors planning to travel to deep rural areas not common to tourists will have much greater chances of seeing dead dogs than tourists who stick to the touristic areas.

China And Vietnam Eat The Most Dog Meat

China takes the tainted crown as the world’s biggest dog meat consumer. The country is estimated to eat about ten million dogs a year. In Thailand, the consumption of dog meat is limited to a few communities; however, in China, this tradition is prevalent in many regions.

China holds an annual dog festival that many foreigners and locals unsurprisingly protest. Fortunately, China’s view on dogs is beginning to shift as the Ministry of Agriculture now recognizes these canines as companion animals rather than livestock. 

The cities of Zhuhai and Shenzhen also banned dog meat consumption in 2020.

Vietnam takes second place regarding the rate of dog meat consumption. In several of the country’s areas, dog meat is a traditional food cooked and served in various ways (stews, soups, etc.). The Vietnamese eat almost every part of the animal.

The demand for dog meat is so high that Vietnam is a big client of dog traffickers. The strong embedded belief among that dog meat has medicinal value and can bring about good fortune makes it difficult to alter Vietnamese dog consumers’ beliefs regarding dog meat.

What Meat Do They Not Eat In Thailand

Thai cuisine usually incorporates meat like duck, chicken, pork, water buffalo, and beef. However, it is worth noting that Thailand is ethnically diverse, and some groups avoid eating certain meats.

For instance, the Thai-Chinese population (around fifteen percent of the total population) does not consume beef, as cows are considered sacred animals. But interestingly, the younger Thai-Chinese generation has less of an issue with beef consumption.

Though meats like lamb, mutton, and goat are less common in Thailand, they are consumed by the Muslim community in the south.

What Meats To Avoid Eating In Thailand

One of the biggest concerns tourists get whenever traveling abroad is getting sick from eating certain foods. In Thailand, the highest risk of getting sick, regarding meats, comes from eating shellfish and pork that are not prepared correctly.

Shellfish is always a risk to eat as it is eaten raw or not cooked carefully. Sometimes pork in Thailand can also be undercooked, leaving room for the consumer to get sick.