I was horrified to learn about the prevalent cruel and illegal dog meat trade in Nagaland, India. I was even more horrified to learn that the trade is riddled with overwhelming cruelty towards dogs, which goes against EXISTING LEGISLATION.

Killing dogs, along with other animals, is illegal under Section 428 and 429 of the IPC, 1860 and Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. Article 51A (g) of the Indian Constitution states that citizens have a fundamental duty to have compassion for living creatures. As well, India's Food Safety & Standards Regulation, 2011 does not permit the consumption of dog meat. Despite this legislative ban, it is not enforced, because Article 371(A) of the Indian Constitution gives Nagaland special status and states that no act of Parliament shall apply to the state of Nagaland in respect to the customary and traditional practices of the people of Nagaland. For any act to apply to the state, the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland must pass a resolution.

As per the Humane Society International, dogs are illegally transported against state borders. Dogs are tied up in sacks with their mouth bound shut with rope or stitched together, all the way from when they are captured to the moment they are ruthlessly clubbed to death. They are denied basic food and water. The dog meat markets allow customers to select whatever living dog they wish to purchase, which is then slaughtered to death then and there and roasted over fire or in searing hot water. THIS IS ANIMAL CRUELTY.

Due to recent shocking images, this issue has come to light once again. The last petitions I came across have been closed for years. The Nagaland government has since been considering banning the use of dog meat for any purpose, however, they have yet to make a decision. Recently, the Mizoram gov't excluded dogs from the definition of animals suitable for slaughter from the Animal Slaughter Bill in 2020. If Mizoram can take this step, so can Nagaland. Let's make the humane decision and urge the Nagaland Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio, and his gov't to enforce this existing ban and immediately end the cruel dog meat trade in Nagaland. We have the power to make sure the law is recognized, respected and upheld. We could save tens of thousands of stolen and stray dogs bound to killed as a part of this cruel industry. This law is already in place, so there is no excuse for any further delay. 

Please also consider writing an email to the Chief Secretary of Nagaland, Temjen Toy, at csngl@nic.in. Please get in contact with me if you would like an email template, however, I do believe a personal email will have more impact.

Thank you for your support.