KORONADAL CITY -- Bad news for dog-meat lovers here.

The city government here is working for the imposition of a total ban on the slaughter and eating of dogs in the area as part of its efforts to eradicate the spread of the deadly rabies virus and stop such form of cruel act on animals.

Dr. Charlemagne Calo, city veterinarian, said they are currently coordinating Mayor Fernando Miguel for the crafting of a measure that would totally stop the slaughter of dogs and the imposition of various penalties for violators.

He said the proposed ban is anchored on the provisions of Republic Act (RA) 8485 or the animal welfare act of 1998.

"This is actually a test case for us. The law had been there for a long time now but it's hardly implemented by most of the local government units," Calo said.

Section 6 of RA 8485 specifically disallows the torture of any animal, the negligence of the owner to provide adequate care and sustenance for them, the maltreatment of any animal such as subjecting any dog or horse to dogfights or horsefights and their use in unauthorized research or experiments.

It cited that only cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, poultry, rabbits, carabaos, horses, deer and crocodiles are allowed to be slaughtered.

Section 8 of the law stressed that any person who would violate any of its provisions may be penalized with imprisonment of not more than two years or a fine of at least P5,000 or both at the discretion of the court.

Calo said the proposed ban on the slaughter of dogs may effectively help stop the spread of the rabies virus in the city, especially in areas where cases of infection had occurred.

He warned that the consumption of dogs or any animal infected with rabies may cause its transfer to humans.

"Cook will not a virus present in a dog's meat no matter how long it would take," he said.

Calo noted that dog meat is not recommended for human consumption as it is not easily digested by the human system.

Meantime, Calo said the city government has maintained a year round vaccination of dogs and cats against rabies in the city's 27 barangays in a bid to totally wipe out the deadly virus.

He said they have scheduled house-to-house anti-rabies vaccinations in every barangays and provided alloy dog tags to identify animals that were already vaccinated.

Two years ago, the city government declared a rabies outbreak following the confirmed deaths of at least seven persons due to the virus.

But since the city government intensified its rabies awareness and vaccination drive last year, not a single death from rabies infection was since recorded in the city.

courtesy of MindaNews
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