The Philippine Embassy in London must have been shocked when
it received thousands of postcards addressed to Dr. Cavino Gatbatan, director of
the Bureau of Animal Industry.
The post card, which came from thousands of dog lovers and
animal rights advocates from several parts of Great Britain bears a gruesome
photo of a number of dead dogs reportedly intercepted by the police authorities
at a checkpoint in Tarlac in May this year.
The post card which says: Dead Dogs foul and putrid. heading
straight for dinner plates in the Philippines," was printed by the London-based
International Wildlife Coalition Trust and was distributed to its supporters to
be sent to the Philippine Embassy in London.
The post cart reads: "It is with the greatest regret that
this horrific card is being sent to you, but the importance of the message
demands it."
The post card says that on May 2004, the PNP in Tarlac
stopped a vehicle carrying 72 dogs, 59 of which were dead.
The dogs, the post card, says, had been concealed under a
false floor.
"Time and time again this has happened; always without
exception 90 percent of the dogs will die (while on transit). This is a
deliberate act by the dog traders to get dog meat to Baguio. This foul putrid
meat would have ended up on people's dinner plates causing serious illness or
death," the post card says.
The card also urges Catbagan to "please use your power to
have these criminals prosecuted under the danger to public health regulations."
The Animal Welfare Coalition Thrust, through the Animal
Kingdom Foundation, has been at the forefront of a war against dog trade in the
Philippines for years.
Greg S. Quimpo, officer in charge of the Philippine chapter
of the AKF said the post card "is one way of expressing the movement's
indignation over people's disregard of the law against dog meat trade."
Quimpo said people who eat double dead dogs are not only
susceptible to rabies but to other diseases brought by the potentially dangerous
bacteria that has accumulated on dog carcasses while in transit.
"Dogs that commonly reach the market have been dead for
hours. This means that the dogs, which have been exposed to high temperature,
especially those confined in the floors of the van, could gather more bacteria
equivalent to those found after days in normal circumstances," Quimpo said.
He said if the dogs have been dead for hours, it would mean another five
hours, before it could reach Baguio or other areas in the north.
