In Thailand, killing dogs to export their bones or skin to foreign countries is illegal. But that hasn’t stopped smugglers from doing it anyway — and murdering thousands of dogs in the process.
If you’re a golfing enthusiast, think twice before you put on those golf gloves — they might actually be made out of someone’s beloved pet dog.
It’s sad, but true: throughout Asia, smuggling of live dogs, dog meat and dog skins happens all the time, with very little action taken to prevent it. Though killing dogs to export their bones or skin to foreign countries is illegal in Thailand, that hasn’t stopped smugglers from trying to make an enormous profit from it. Recently, a pile of hundreds of dog skins was found dumped in a forest in Sakon Nakhon, which borders Laos.
The live dogs are usually sold for $10 an animal. They’re then butchered and skinned; their meat goes to Vietnam or China, where it is considered a delicacy, and their skins go all over the world to make gloves, purses or wallets.
And it’s not just strays — pet dogs are often kidnapped from their loving families and murdered right alongside the feral ones.
Clearly, the country needs to take more action to stop this horrific cycle, and fast. Tell Thailand to crack down on the dog-skin trade!
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