Indonesian police intercept a slaughterhouse truck carrying dogs

In Indonesia, police intercepted a truck carrying more than 220 dogs heading to the slaughterhouse, according to authorities. The dogs were found tied with their legs and muzzles to the back of the truck when the vehicle stopped yesterday in the city of Semarang on the island of Java.

Authorities arrested five members of the truck's crew, charged them under the Animal Protection Act and face up to five years in prison. Indonesia is one of the countries where the sale of dog and cat meat is still permitted. However, a campaign against this is gaining more supporters. Some cities such as Semarang have therefore implemented local bans on the trade in recent years.

Activists provided information

Local police chief Erwan Anwar said: “We have had information about this matter since last month, but only tonight we were able to thwart the transfer of 226 dogs.”

According to preliminary investigations, the dog driver was on his way to the neighboring city of Surakarta, where the dogs were scheduled to be slaughtered. The activists said they provided information regarding the dog's transportation to the police, but then lost track of the transportation.