Packs of stray dogs which roam the streets of New Delhi should be rounded up and sent to Korea for making soup,

When I first read that, I thought "Wow, those smart Koreans can teach dogs how to make soup". Then the rupee dropped.

How about working on a sanitation system that makes it harder for dogs to find food on the streets?

How does drugging them during the day help with keeping them calm during the nights, which, purpotedly is the problem?

When I first read that, I thought "Wow, those smart Koreans can teach dogs how to make soup". Then the rupee dropped.

OMG I think I peed a little!

OK I love animals but it is a huge problem. I've been bit by a dog TWICE in my life and once was in India when I was a kid and I had to take 16 injections in my belly or something ridiculous like that. I'm sad to say but the dogs with rabies need to be identified and simply put to sleep. NO NOT COOKED or something ridiculous like that but humanely put to sleep.

Hey, I have an idea. May be they should raise the standard of living for these dogs. Then, they will have fewer babies...

Can't they recruit them into the Indian army or something?

Imagine that. Packs of wild rabid dogs salivating at the mouth, completely expendable and Pavlov-conditioned to sniff out militants and PUT THEM DOWN. They could be the Royal Barkha regiment. One day, say 2057, they'll revolt. They'll stop collecting sticks and rolling over. A general will rise from the ranks. The dog that became a soldier. The soldier that became a dogeneral. The dogeneral that defied a nation.

He'll lead a bark-away splinter faction that declare war on those waving lucky cats from China, Korea and Japan. They'll ride elephants over the woof of the Himalaya and into China. As the foolish, complacent, fat cats of China wave away and bring good fortune to those around them, the dogs will silently amass around them, sharpening their canine canines. Until the blood-curdling battle cry echoes across the Chinese plains..."WALKIES!"

Years from then ancient dogs, the ones you see waddling down the street cos their hips are so arthritic, will tell stories of the Feline-Doggy wars. They'll lament as the youth aren't interested, they just want to play with toilet paper rolls. Tom and Jerry will be hailed as the most important historical document ever discovered.

Ah f*ck it, just make them into soup.

Dog meat is not that bad. The taste is not really gamy and is more lamb like. Of course you cant mention this in polite company.

I haven't read the news item, but going by your summary, Anna, this indicates a level of international cultural culinary awareness, an ability to consider innovative steps, a responsiveness to problems faced by constituents, even a refreshing humanity (er, canineness?) that refuses to consider a wholesale slaughter (cull?) first - that I would not normally associate with city Councillors in Delhi. (I speak as someone who lived there as a kid and a teenager). My first thought was - city Councillors in Delhi actually read stuff? :) As a (potential) spoiler to Maximum City, maybe I can mention that that city (where I was born) also has some, er, culinary angle to how it disposes of its dogs.

Am I the only mutineer who has eaten dog meat!

8 · Al_Chutiya_for_debauchery
Am I the only mutineer who has eaten dog meat!
_________________________________________________
Apparently so....
I'm sure the Koreans will be thrilled that "we" thought of them here....
These dogs are far too "untouchable" to get into S.Korea--maybe Pyongyang....

why send the dogs to Korea for soup, it's pretty brutal.

Mindful of Mahatma Gandhi’s adage that “a country is known by the way it treats its animals” the city is hoping to avoid the kind of brutal cull that Athens resorted to

when it makes more sense to send them to countries where they are held in high regards like in the United States. the little puppies are seriously the cutest things you've ever seen (although, since they are just laying there on the side walk, it's sad too). i think americans would really be up for adopting them. granted they've had their appropriate shots.

Am I the only mutineer who has eaten dog meat!

Couldn't get myself to do it. Can't eat Fido or Fifi (Bambi and Tweety is OK) but I have eaten a lot of other weird and gross things. Does that count? :-)

Spay and neuter programs (and humane treatment of diseased dogs) have proved successful in other countries, and even in some parts of India, if I remember correctly. It is probably the most humane way of dealing with strays, a problem created primarily by human beings and the way they live - in places like Bangalore, the number of strays increased with the flourishing of meat stalls/shops who then proceeded to dump their garbage in the back or on the roads, thus attracting dogs and rats etc. Who gets the blame? The dogs, because their only crime is trying to survive. If spay/neuter has failed in delhi, it's entirely due to the apathetic nature of people and the "designer dog" syndrome that people in india and elsewhere suffer from. They're quite happy to send little Bubbles out for a walk with the maid/dog walker, or keeping their St. Bernards in indoor airconditioning all the time (why should you have a St. Bernard in any major Indian city anyways?), but then turn their noses up at the neighbourhood mutts. Mass culls never work, they are inhumane and ineffective - the problem just returns.

when it makes more sense to send them to countries where they are held in high regards like in the United States. the little puppies are seriously the cutest things you've ever seen (although, since they are just laying there on the side walk, it's sad too). i think americans would really be up for adopting them. granted they've had their appropriate shots.

I wouldn't say that so quick. I think it's a general assumption that Americans love animals and even if they do, there are too many unwanted ones here already.
Number of cats and dogs entering shelters each year: 6-8 million (HSUS estimate)
Number of cats and dogs euthanized by shelters each year: 3-4 million (HSUS estimate)
Number of cats and dogs adopted from shelters each year: 3-4 million (HSUS estimate)

what's disheartening is that vicks could serve only 2 years if he accepts a plea bargain.

how about rounding up all of india's useless, ineffective politicians, councillors and sending them off to wherever they have a taste for human flesh. :)

AMFD asks: >>Am I the only mutineer who has eaten dog meat!

You're not alone...

M. Nam

Dog meat is not that bad. The taste is not really gamy and is more lamb like. Of course you cant mention this in polite company.

See...I don't get this at all ( the horror that people have over other people eating dog meat). After all its all very culture specific .I am sure that some of the foods in India will be considered really bizarre here in the US - just like s
ome of the food here is probably considered bizarre in India.While I like dogs and all that - I would really hesitate to outright condemn the option of eating them - though I don't think I could do that myself.

ACfD and MoorNam - I always knew you two were alike.

i remember Athens having a far more messed up dog situation than delhi.

Another councillor wondered if the dogs could be drugged during daylight hours “so that they keep sleeping all day long”

How would that help this;

India’s capital is suffering from a 300,000-strong plague of feral dogs who scavenge the city’s open rubbish dumps, hunting in packs and terrorising cyclists and pedestrians who venture into the city at night.

We crushed up a few sleeping pills and put it in some food and fed it to the street dog that was keeping us up all night long barking once. It worked.

Delhi may have a dog problem but in other areas it's pigs and monkeys. Sometimes the monkeys are rounded up in trucks and taken out from the towns but due to de-forestation they keep coming back for food.

Maybe Delhi-ites need to adopt these street dogs as pets? Other than domesticating them I can't think of any other solution.

"While I like dogs and all that - I would really hesitate to outright condemn the option of eating them - though I don't think I could do that myself."

no one's condemning the koreans for eating dogs - that's their business/culture. but to solve problems of your own making by exporting them to another country is despicable. what's to stop people from then breeding dogs purposely (puppy mills for export) and/or stealing people's pets to ship them off for dog food? or why not just create a culture of dog-eating in india, instead of shipping them abroad? the councillor should put the dog meat where his mouth is and set a good example:) the commonwealth games will come and go and the stray dog problem will return.

i've seen a mass cull first-hand. it's not pleasant, it's cruel, it's not easy, it haunts you and it never, ever solves the problem.

So who let the dogs out?

(In Shantaram, didn't the main character get attacked by wild dogs in Bombay?)

I think the dogs should be offered more opportunity

(1) allow them to sign up for Korean chow duty (indentured servants), sending the $ back to their families

(2) sponsor them to travel and fight for prize $ in rural Virginia

(3) give them stipends to study/work as seeing eye dogs in the US, and also send money home

(4) set aside 10% of the military dog positions for SCC (Scheduled Caste Canines)

With all the NRIC (Non-Resident Indian Canines) sending money back home, they pups can afford needed, food, shelter, and medicine. In addition, the SCCs will gain a foothold in the government. It's not a fast solution, many litters will have to struggle but eventually they will find their way.

but to solve problems of your own making by exporting them to another country is despicable.

SOlving a problem by exporting it to be the part of another country's enjoyment is despicable??? Is it depicable when hunters are allowed to shoot deer because of overpopulation in US suburbs? Not really.

Is it depicable when hunters are allowed to shoot deer because of overpopulation in US suburbs? Not really.

depends on who you ask, i guess. if your part of the ahimsa crew, i think that wold be considered dispicable.

"SOlving a problem by exporting it to be the part of another country's enjoyment is despicable???"

the point is, it doesn't solve the problem. only the symptom. the problem - caused by humans - remains.

(3) give them stipends to study/work as seeing eye dogs in the US, and also send money home

But then the local dogs will complain that they are losing their jobs to all the H1-Bow visa holders with funny barks and it may escalate to become the election issue!

What a stupid remark! This politician's idea is not "culturally aware" at all, as some one suggested. Rather, it perpetuates an ignorant stereotype. Yes, some people eat dog meat in So. Korea. But the people there don't eat stray dogs off the street! A certain type of dog is specially bred for the purpose of eating and they are bought and sold in markets. BTW, it is officially an illegal practice that the Korean government is trying to curtail.

i wonder what these politicians plan on doing with all the "stray" people who will be soiling "pristine" delhi during the commonwealth games. out of sight, out of mind, i suppose.

I wouldn't go so far to call a dog a filthy animal, dogs got personality. personality goes a long way.

Yeah, I was going to ask about what Mukul mentioned -- would people actually eat stray dogs? I doubt it; I would expect they would have to go through some kind of health analysis/requirements to be consumed.

The stray dogs are heartbreaking, though. I know this is my American-bias towards dogs, but everytime I see dogs wasting away, lamed, feral, rabid, I just feel really sad. Like WGIIA mentioned, it's a problem driven, in part, by humans.

Let's see: poverty, rabies, overcrowded cities, the safety of children, an already low quality of life...etc.

Why should we listen to animal rights activists again?

#27 mukul is absolutely right. the dog-eating korean is almost as insidious a stereotype as monkey-brain-eating indian. i say "almost" because, yes, some koreans eat boshintang but as mukul said, only a certain type of dog is bred for this purpose. it is not a common menu item, and i am sure it is very rarely consumed in the home. they don't grab any dog of their own streets for consumption, and they certainly don't need india's strays. the politician's remark is absurd -- and if there is a korean website similar to SM, i'd expect some uproar over there about it.

I was in delhi until the tender age of 11 and used to have lots "gali ke kute" as friends. I used to feed their puppies and they used to guard me against the mohalla bullies. and now they are gonna be soup? What about the thousands of cows on delhi roads chewing plastic bags and what not? Ofcourse they dont wanna make beef patties.......

but, I'd be curious to know... does hangul have a dog problem?

just fyi -- "hangul" = the name of the language; "hanguk" = the country.

"Let's see: poverty, rabies, overcrowded cities, the safety of children, an already low quality of life...etc.
Why should we listen to animal rights activists again?"

let's see, this doesn't have to be a zero sum game nor is it one. the poorest people on this earth still depend on and live with natural resources (including animals, not just dogs) for their living. and frankly, since we're indulging in stereotypes about "animal rights" activists, i've found that people who care about animal welfare generally have more respect for human welfare than those that don't and actually do more about it. :)

"just fyi -- "hangul" = the name of the language; "hanguk" = the country. "

totally right, just caught it. but do they? I wonder.

What about the thousands of cows on delhi roads chewing plastic bags and what not? Ofcourse they dont wanna make beef patties.......

As I understand (I might be wrong) there are massive slaughter houses in Delhi for the packaging and export of cow meat.

As I understand (I might be wrong) there are massive slaughter houses in Delhi for the packaging and export of cow meat.

really? so much for "Calm as hindu cows"...

While I totally agree the original statement only shows the speaker's ignorance and bigotry, I am going to ignore all that and just go nuts, with some combination of Monty Python and Groucho Marx:

A: We have so many stray dogs in Delhi. Can't we ship them to Korea? I read they can make soup.
B: The dogs can make soup?
A: No, the Koreans. With the dogs.
B: So the dogs are going to help the Koreans make soup?
A: No the Koreans are going to make dog soup.
B: Why didn't you say so first then? You're dumb.
A: I'm dumb? You're the dumb son of a bitch. You make everything into a shaggy dog story.
B: Speaking of shag...

Music: [Bow chika Bow Wow. Woof?]

Maybe the "exasperated councillor" was fishing for a "Man-bites-dog" story?

really? so much for "Calm as hindu cows"...

SOlving a problem by exporting it to be the part of another country's enjoyment is despicable???

wtf, like people in rural areas are immune to rabies?

When I first read that, I thought "Wow, those smart Koreans can teach dogs how to make soup". Then the rupee dropped

isn't this similar to the issue of extradition to a country that has the death penalty? many countries who don't believe in the DP will refuse to do so - even if the killing doesn't happen at their own hands, they know what the result will be, and it's not one that they desire.

People vs dogs, the ethical dilemmma/dynamics change slightly.

This politician's idea is not "culturally aware" at all, as some one suggested

This politician's idea is not "culturally aware" at all, as some one suggested

Mukul, your broader point was well taken. I was only saying that the Delhi politician showed an awareness of international culinary culture. To me the surprize was that he knew that people in Korea ate dogs. I mean, the thing is so far outside the culinary cultural memes of South Asia, and Korea is not a country people think of routinely in India. Frankly, I was surprized that he even knew that a country called Korea existed. I know the subtext is the assumption that Indian politicians in general would have a low level of cultural knowledge, and that may well not be justified, not any more anyway. Globalization may well have increased the Korean 'soft power footprint' beyond my naive conception. My low opinion of Indian politicians needs revision; however, I was certainly not suggesting he understood the nuances of how Koreans actually eat dogs. I was using 'aware' in a narrower sense.

"Frankly, I was surprized that he even knew that a country called Korea existed."

that would be hard not to know these days, with korean products being sold in india.

Islam considers dogs unclean and hence you will rarely find a muslim family with a pet dog. Indian Hindus also are not all that big on keeping pet dogs or cats, so maybe that is why Delhi is facing such a big problem with strays and street dogs.

If I'm not mistaken, the Nagas in Assam and Manipur also enjoy dog meat (and no, Al Chutiya, you aren't the only mutineer who's had it). So one could arguably find a domestic market for those Delhi dogs.

"Islam considers dogs unclean and hence you will rarely find a muslim family with a pet dog. Indian Hindus also are not all that big on keeping pet dogs or cats, so maybe that is why Delhi is facing such a big problem with strays and street dogs."

no, it's just the homegrown indian dogs that aren't considered "cool." many delhiites have breed dogs, especially foreign imports. maybe if dog-eating was made to be seen as "cool", and not something done by nagas or any other people, delhiites would eat their own problems up in time for the city to present itself to the world for the commonwealth games.

People, people, the point is not whether we can find a market of people who eat dogs to ship these dogs to. The point is, nobody in their right mind would try to catch and eat a feral dog, any more than a pork-eater would try to catch and eat a disease-ridden garbage-munching Indian pig.

Unless they were a drunk college student, in which case all bets are off.

Whose God is it anyways?

Question for you : If the Delhi administration seriously undetook a neutering/spaying program ,I am assuming the population os stray dogs would come down as time goes by and the dogs die natural deaths. But what in the interim, isn't some sort of mass reduction ( killing /exporting) the only immediate solution?
(I want to clarify that I am not trying to provoke anything here -its a sincere question and you seem to have knowledge on this subject. )

runa, a mass cull only works if there is a real commitment to spay/neuter. usually, it's a very ill-thought out, inhumane, short-term solution to a long-term problem that stems mostly from people's attitudes and awareness or lack thereof. you treat the symptoms and the causes continue (open rubbish tips, poor hygiene conditiosn for people and animals). bali has had a fairly successful spay/neuter program without resorting to mass culls, as far as i know.

humane society international, a few years ago, said it was helping with a successful program in delhi, so i don't know what happened. probably human apathy, lack of govt. support (this is a very important part), lack of funding etc. if you speak about animal welfare, people erroneously assume you're doing so at the expense of human welfare when the two are tied together. so i question whether there is a real commitment or whether the commonwealth games will come and go and the problem will return after a convenient mass cull. i suppose now that the problem has reached these proportions they will have to do something, can't afford to upset those tourists/athletes (because let's not pretend that the councillor actually cares about the effect of stray dogs on the poor people of delhi). the funny thing is, a mass cull will cause more bad pr for the commonwealth games in india than any tourist seeing a stray dog. this story and the councillor's outlandish suggestions is already all over the newswires and in publications around the world.

and the problem isn't just strays. i think it's misleading to label all these dogs feral.

WGiiA ,
Thanks for the detailed reply. I guess a holistic approach is the only solution. I feel really bad about the condition of strays in India but I feel even worse about the fact that so many people have to live in intolerable conditions in slums etc. Hopefully, improving hygiene levels will help all around. For example: Shulabh Shuchalyas opened in various cities in India and made a small dent in the overall cleanliness ....

Reform the dogs by teaching them dog yoga

I don't like the idea of eating or euthanizing any animal for our convenience, especially a dog. (I am a life long vegetarian - not even fish.)

However, I do not judge others for their food choices since I believe it is a free world.

This is a difficult situation for the wild Delhi dogs and the city staff. Unfortunately, since the dogs are wild, it might be very hard for people to adopt them. (Can adult street dogs become tame and house broken??)

Spaying and neutering the dogs seems like an expensive solution, but it sounds like the most humane way to deal with the problem. But it is expensive, time consuming and probably not practical.

I love dogs, but to me culling and licensing is the only humane option. Life for a street dog is hellish, I don't think there is anyway to adopt and reform them after a lifetime of negative experiences with humans. There's too many puppy mills too, some breeds seem to be a trapping of success for the upwardly mobile

"But it is expensive, time consuming and probably not practical."

it's actually been done fairly successfully elsewhere and will probably prove to be more practical, less expensive in the long-run. But then again, the long-run is not important to politicians. perhaps the money that was spent bidding on the commonwealth games and sprucing delhi up for the games should have been spent on improving the conditions for the poor and on spay/neuter etc. before ambitiously bidding for games and then panicking about the city's image at the last minute. if the aim is to impress foreigners, i can guarantee you, from firsthand experience living in a tourist-dependent country that relies on image, that tourists don't respond well to mass culls of people or animals just to make them feel better about their stay.

And Delhi won the bid to host the commonwealth games nearly four years ago.

There's WSD (Welfare of Stray Dogs) in Mumbai and CUPA (Compassion Unlimited Plus Action) in B'lore. Does anyone know of a similar organization in Delhi? I'd think that neutering is the best possible solution, given all the options.

I've eaten dog several times. They are great with mustard and relish.

I don't like the idea of eating or euthanizing any animal for our convenience, especially a dog. (I am a life long vegetarian - not even fish.)

I grew up watching wild animals (as a life-long vegetarian, from the first breath I drew independent of the womb)and never keeping them as pets, so I do find it hard to empathize with those who feel that dogs are a special category of mammal and must be euologized, martyred and placed on a pet pedestal.

Is not malnutrition a fairly large problem in India--especially among the urban poor? Would they not benefit from additional protein? (and no, i'm not suggesting that western elites descend upon Delhi to puree street dogs and distribute the resultant mash via troughs) I agree that a mass cull (or even a mass spay/neuter campaign) invokes nightmarish images of Sanjay Gandhi wielding the castration kuhkri and leaving a swath of eunuchs in his path, but couldn't this be an opportunity to focus on the nutritional needs (and hygenic deficits) of the poor in Delhi and solutions to those problems?

and not to mention that our troops ( http://www.dawn.com/2004/04/10/int7.htm ) are eating dogs and monkeys in indian jungles. so maybe the indian govt. should deploy them in delhi during the commonwealth games as apart of joint excercises.

Nothing ominous about the Korean option. Koreans eat dogs and the French eat horses is common cultural knowledge even in India. The Koreans tried to ban the practice in restaurants during the Seoul Olympics and it was big news at that time. Dog meat is not just a Korean delicacy though and is eaten in many places as this link shows. China could be a bigger market:)

You are all sick puppies, I think.

"Delhi Dogs" would be a great brand for export, however,

If you could get them past the vets.

Else, it would be like Chinese seafood into the US.

Koreans might buy it, who knows.

"but couldn't this be an opportunity to focus on the nutritional needs (and hygenic deficits) of the poor in Delhi and solutions to those problems?"

aren't you assuming that the urban poor would want to eat dogs in the first place? there wouldn't be 300,000 stray dogs if the urban poor wanted to eat dogs, i'm sure they have the initiative to kill and eat them. it's not unusual for the poor to keep pets too. why would they want to eat something most middle-class indians wouldn't? culturally they are the same people.

why send to korea? there's starving ppl in india? doggie Vindalho anyone? tandoori dog?

Maybe Micheal Vick can help out; he has some creative ideas on how to get rid of unwanted dogs.

I am a dawg of the desi pedigree who first came to the USA to solve the Y2K bug. Mebbe it was my dawg breath or my oversized glasses or my BO or my Toyota Corolla DX but I neva was able to get any dates. I have to say the best put-downs were from da yaybeeceedee pedigree - often forcing me to retreat tail-tucked to my 1 bedroom studio apartment (with pool and gym) in Sunnyvale which I shared with 4 other desi dawgs.

Along came 2002 and I was a jobless dawg who returned back to desh. And, now dey want to neuter me, ship me to Korea, drug me?

What's a mateless, homeless desi dawg supposed to do?

PS: Anyone willing to sponsor a visa for a Java beans programmer?

Dude, I'm with pingpong on this. I wouldn't want to eat a feral cow (I know, a stretch of the imagination), nor would I want to eat a rabid one. The latter certainly can't be appropriate in terms of health concerns, and I have no idea about the health consequences of the former. Why would poor people then want to eat mangy, diseased strays?

"Why would poor people then want to eat mangy, diseased strays?"

why would poor indians, who are generally not used to it, barring some exceptions, want to eat a healthy dog?

Personally, I think the whole thing is funny. It is great to see politicians think outside the box even if it sounds all kooky. It gets boring when they have to watch they say. I am not saying they are correct in their suggestions or it sounds reasonable. But it is funny to read it.

As far as why anyone would eat stray dogs? I dont find that implausible. WHy does anyone eat Haggis? Or cockroaches in Thailand? Or rats? Or PLACENTA as i saw in some clip from England where some stupid bitch gives a placenta pate party. (HUMAN PLACENTA!).

WHat about drinking the milk of cows that look deformed because htey ahve been raised to just give us milk and their udders look like they are going to burst and they become bowlegged.

Also I was watching on TABOO on NAtional Geographic HD where some middle class AngloIndian lady was so desperate to find something called kutti or whatever. It is lamb foetus. She claimed it was this great tasting delicacy and goes to great lengths to get it.

Indian HOT DOGS. but are they kosher?

Or PLACENTA as i saw in some clip from England where some stupid bitch gives a placenta pate party. (HUMAN PLACENTA!).

WHat about drinking the milk of cows that look deformed because htey ahve been raised to just give us milk and their udders look like they are going to burst and they become bowlegged.

Also, re: the list, I don't eat haggis, cockroaches, rats, or dairy, so I absolve myself. (I'm just being tongue-in-cheek, but I do get a bit grossed out when I think of milk)

WGiiA......?

So who let the dogs out?

Ugh, I have met women who do this

Camille, DETAILS PLEASE. I always wanted to know what compels someone to eat HUMAN PLACENTA!!!!!! Did you give them a puzzled look. Did they volunteer the info? Were you offered it? DId you make a funny face when offered? Did you ask them " are you guys fucking mad?"

here's Malaysia dealing with a similar situation:

"Malaysia has defended its decision to allow the export of macaque monkeys for meat and scientific research purposes, saying it will help curb their booming population in cities where they attack people and raid homes for food."

Continued here: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/17/asia/AS-GEN-Malaysia-Exporting-Monkeys.php or you can search "malaysia macaque meat" in Google News

Crocodiles. There's no stray dog problem in Coral Gables, FL.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/florida/news-article.aspx?storyid=89252

Whilst spending some time in Tamil Nadu many years ago, a stray dog came over and licked me. That was right after my dad (he's a doc) had given me a lecture about how dangerous Rabies was and how a patient had died recently from rabies etc. That lick freaked me out, but I'm real clever. I knew that if the dog had rabies, it would die in 10 days; that could have been right or wrong, but that's what I knew. Anyways, I knew that I had my job cut out; I decided to stalk that pack of stray dogs for the next ten days. Every morning and evening, I'd scour the roads until I found the pack and saw my "licker" well and healthy; only then would I sleep. The dogs soon knew that something was afoot and I knew that they were watching me watching them. It was something along the lines of the hunter becoming the huntee. In those ten days I learned many things about a dog's life and I realized why they called it a dog's life. I even picked up a fight (on the seventh day, I think), with a truck-driver who tried to run-over my dog and almost ruined my elaborate plans. At the crack of dawn on the eleventh day, my heart beating faster than usual, I went in search of him. There was a tear in my eye when I spotted him peeing on his favourite lamp-post, in the pink of life; well, as pink as a dog's life is allowed. Since this was a special occasion, I bought some biscuits and tossed it at him - looking back, that must have been Stockholm Syndrome in it's most feral form. He lived for many more months before the dog-catchers from the Municipality got him. Ah, memories...

"WGiiA......?"

just pointing out that despite the apparent suggestions that india's poor deal with their nutritional deficiences by eating dogs, thus killing two birds with one stone, they might actually want to have a say in that:) i think they'd rather eat like the rest of us. there's no shortage of food in india. there wouldn't be 20 million strays or so if people really wanted to eat dogs. the idea that the poor/hungry will eat anything to survive is also misguided. i've seen people starving whilst there are equally emaciated dogs/cats loitering in the background. some will eat other humans to stay alive, some will eat rats and others will just starve to death. likewise, during the tsunami, people were hungry, but they didn't all resort to eating anything or wearing anything for that matter. so well-meaning middle and richer indians who dumped all their "junk" clothes, nevermind that they were totally inappropriate for the people, were taken aback to see that the poor can actually have discriminating tastes.

and, at the risk of sounding preachy (but then again people here get more worked up about all sorts of pet peeves from sari borders on books to people marrying trees to shashi tharoor on saris....., so i'll risk it), i wouldn't have posted this story if i thought it would have resulted in such tasteless jokes about unnecessary cruelty to dogs (and to pre-empt comments about india has so many problems, think about humans before animals etc. etc. etc., the last time i checked, compassion is not a limited resource). i don't find anything funny in solving human-made problems by inflicting needless suffering (because i'm pretty sure shooting, poisoning and strangling would soon come into play in trying to catch 300,000 dogs) or by making assinine suggestions about what to do with them.

i wouldn't have posted this story if i thought it would have resulted in such tasteless jokes about unnecessary cruelty to dogs

Please don't say that--I'm glad you posted it. You consistently post relevant, valuable links on the news tab and we are grateful for it.

I saw a documentary on the University of Maryland channel when I was at Bethesda Naval Hospital. I did not want to look at it but a Corpsman in my room was watching it. It was recorded using a hidden camera and quite graphic.

This was recorded at a province in China. There were cages full of cats (not feral) they were docile. They were held by the neck using a long device and dropped in a large pot of boiling water. The carcas was then cleaned and the fur removed. The meat was sold as food. I felt naseau for days, and anytime I think of it. I adore cats and one lives with me.

Crocodiles. There's no stray dog problem in Coral Gables, FL.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/florida/news-article.aspx?storyid=89252

Crocodiles taste great, the meat is tender. Its expensive though, I had crocodile stir fry in Cairns, Australia.

I think it's the perfect solution to send these dogs to Korea for meat.

I think it's the perfect solution to send these dogs to Korea for meat.

Sure, then we can send half-a-billion Indian's to Germany to make soap out of them. I've heard it does wonders for the complexion.

A good good idea would be to ship these feral dogs to North Korea where people are actualy starving, not South Korea, where the young are rejecting this dog eating practice.

A good good idea would be to ship these feral dogs to North Korea where people are actualy starving

In the spirit of Jonathan Swift, sounds like a capital plan! Then we can solve the homeless problem in Mumbai by shipping those pesky slum folk off to the cannibals in Papua New Guinea, where people are actually starving as well. But alas, our poor pavement dwellers are too sickly and probably don't have enough meat on them to make for a good meal.

Dogs and cats don't belong on the table. An animal rights group sent me a flyer one time with a picture of cat tied next to a boiling pot in some market place in Korea. The cat looked terrified and despairing--you could see it in its eyes. They make some kind of soup where they put the poor animal in alive. A lot of Koreans themselves protest this and one woman in particular is waging a campaign against the use of dogs and cats in this way. There's been a lot of worldwide protest mail sent to the Korean government.
Dogs and cats have been bred for thousands of years as human dependent companion animals and usually there has been a taboo about eating them except in time of famine. I respect a lot of Chinese medicine but some of it is fixated on using animal parts, often rare (in the sense of numbers) and often inhumanely. I don't think these countries are any crueler than anybody else, but their sense of pragmatism requires that they put feelings aside in order to use the animals in the ways necessary.
I wouldn't ship a dog to Korea.

"Please don't say that--I'm glad you posted it. You consistently post relevant, valuable links on the news tab and we are grateful for it."

sorry if i sounded too judgemental. i guess we're all set off by different things.

Another idea: make the dogs transgenic with rhino dna so that they grow phallic looking horns on their snouts. Then alert poachers and the impotent men of the world.

Also, typo alert: the 2nd word in the title should be spelled "Omniverous".

Dogs and cats don't belong on the table. An animal rights group sent me a flyer one time with a picture of cat tied next to a boiling pot in some market place in Korea.

And other animals like cows, chicken and pigs do? If so, then why? As I see it, it's a cultural/social issue (eat some animals, venerate others) rather than any intrinsic, universal property that some animals should be pets, and others eaten. If you live in the US, I can understand your revulsion at cats being boiled, but I could also argue that at least the Koreans are open about what they do to cats. Try visiting a CAFO in the US and taking pictures.

people in india eat dog too, in the northeast as well as some parts of the south. a plate of "bow bow biriyani" is supposed to be nature's viagra according to some.

I lived in Seoul for 20 months and I just want to say that eating dog soup is a rare thing. Seoul is highly developed and it's more common to see dog boutiques of the sort that Tokyo is famous for then restaurants that serve dog soup. Bosintang is actually very expensive and the type of dog meat used is from a wild mountain dog; I don't think South Koreans would be at all happy with being seen as content with eating rabies-infested dogs! Korean men eat it only on the bespoke hottest day of the year to prove how hard they are (for stamina), whereas 'Samgyetang' - a chicken broth made with ginseng and jujubes is much much more common.

South Koreans, in my experience, were always quick to establish that they wouldn't touch a bowl of dog soup with a barge pole. Korean cuisine is really delicious and healthy and the restaurants in Seoul were always very hygienic in spite of being so cheap.

strays r a problem but shippin em aint right dey shud round some up i guess n check 4 rabies if sum hav em put dose 2 sleep n da 1s datr gud breed em a bit n giv em food n u can ship away as pets cuz i no lota indian breeds of dogs r rly cool n lyk i bin der n i loved em u no but not delhi str8 up pind guy here

hmm, now if we could only figure out something to do with all of those pesky stray cows in delhi......

ooh sacrilege!

If so, then why? As I see it, it's a cultural/social issue (eat some animals, venerate others) rather than any intrinsic, universal property that some animals should be pets, and others eaten.

It is the boiling alive that is ghastly, I don't care where it is done. I am still haunted by that flyer so I won't be visiting any web sites of that nature. I am aware of the humane farming movement and publicitiy about slaughter house here. At least here such a thing would be against the law or insane.
If you want to eat dead dogs and cats, and you capture some poor beast unlucky enough to be nobody's pet, just do it a favor and kill it first before you tuck in.

hmm, now if we could only figure out something to do with all of those pesky stray cows in delhi......

Hey, if the cows are taken off the streets, who is going to eat all the rubbish on the streets? ;)
My brother mentioned an incident (he's a vet) where a cow was operated on and there was a HUGE ball of plastic bags inside the cow's stomach making it sick.

HUGE ball of plastic bags inside the cow's stomach making it sick.

is it really expensive to have a pulic sanitation system (in india)? What would be the benefit in terms of human health? Does the state of garbage removal have any public health consequences?

is it really expensive to have a pulic sanitation system (in india)? What would be the benefit in terms of human health? Does the state of garbage removal have any public health consequences?

Puli, mi amigo. I am no more qualified than you are to answer those questions. Like you, I live in the US. To be fair, last time I was in New Delhi, there were many public signs warning people about the negative effects of plastic bags (and to not throw them on the streets) but I don't know if they have brought about any positive changes.

Camille, DETAILS PLEASE. I always wanted to know what compels someone to eat HUMAN PLACENTA!!!!!! Did you give them a puzzled look. Did they volunteer the info? Were you offered it? DId you make a funny face when offered? Did you ask them " are you guys fucking mad?"

"Malaysia has defended its decision to allow the export of macaque monkeys for meat and scientific research purposes, saying it will help curb their booming population in cities where they attack people and raid homes for food."

WGiiA, no worries, I was just confused because I was trying to say the same thing (that I don't think poor people would want to eat dogs, let alone strays, and that it's actually kind of a disgusting double standard on hunger/malnutrition that ignores larger the larger phenomena driving systematic poverty, and by extension, systematic hunger/malnutrition).

luna, I'm with Amit. While boiling a cat alive may seem disgusting, any exposure to the factory farming / meat-processing industry in the U.S. is equally disgusting, as far as I'm concerned. And what is boiling lobster alive? Isn't that just as bad? Does it really matter what animal it is? I think we only feel differently about it when it's an animal we feel, culturally, should not be eaten (e.g. dogs/cats).

luna, I'm with Amit. While boiling a cat alive may seem disgusting, any exposure to the factory farming / meat-processing industry in the U.S. is equally disgusting, as far as I'm concerned. And what is boiling lobster alive? Isn't that just as bad? Does it really matter what animal it is? I think we only feel differently about it when it's an animal we feel, culturally, should not be eaten (e.g. dogs/cats).

i love that americans act like eating dog is n*sty. think indian food is messed up, then eat ground cow. i mean, its food. it wouldnt be a countrys natonal food if at some level it wasnt tasty.

As I understand (I might be wrong) there are massive slaughter houses in Delhi for the packaging and export of cow meat

Oh my god, really!? Is nothing sacred anymore?

Just discovered on my recent visit to India that some Hindus still perform animal sacrifices during Kali puja - even in South India. My aunt's driver and his kin performed a sacrifice in a local temple. There was nothing I could to do or say to dissaude him. He says that his family has been doing this for generations. I am still very disallusioned and very, very upset by this discovery. I guess I can't claim anymore that (South Indian)Hindus only sacrifice coconuts during pujas.

Regarding stray dogs, Hyderabad seemed fairly free of stray dogs as far as I could I tell. I wonder what method they are using for feral dog control.

>>My aunt's driver and his kin performed a sacrifice in a local temple. There was nothing I could to do or say to dissaude him

How would you feel if I tried to dissuade you from interfering in others' religious practices?

M. Nam

I was in New Delhi, there were many public signs warning people about the negative effects of plastic bags (and to not throw them on the streets) but I don't know if they have brought about any positive changes. but I don't know if they have brought about any positive changes.

Plastic bags ( of a certain thickness) were banned in Delhi,Pune and other municipalities. When I visited India last, vegetable sellers did NOT offer plastic bags to customers in the city that I was in . Therefore I must assume that there are positive changes.Pune,India has an active composting treatment for the last few years and uses vermiculture for food scraps that are gathered separately( something that my town here in the US has just started this year). Change is happening, but slowly.May I gently remind everyone that we are talking of a 3rd world country with 1 billion+ population so to expect its sanitation to keep up with the US - a first world country with 300 million people is unrealistic.

luna, I'm with Amit. While boiling a cat alive may seem disgusting, any exposure to the factory farming / meat-processing industry in the U.S. is equally disgusting, as far as I'm concerned

I was referring to this kind of culture specific horror in an earlier comment here. .While no one would say that they hate animals or advocate actual cruelty towards them, its not right to adopt a holier-than-thou attitude towards other countries/cultures just because their practices towards killing animals for meat are not the same as yours. The only ones who can afford some moral superiority are vegetarians - who I have the utmost respect for. I tried to become one and failed!

Camille, I am aware of slaughterhouse horrors. It is individuals who make a difference. Laws are on the books, but people must care if they are to be enforced. It is hard for people to care when their own survival is uncertain, thus poor countries care less about animals. Also, education helps. In Paris it was once a custom to burn stray cats in a wicker hamper. Then Louis XV's Polish born queen, Marie Leszczyńska, who loved cats, put a stop to it. Then, this was an era when humans were sometimes burned at the stake.

but people must care if they are to be enforced. It is hard for people to care when their own survival is uncertain, thus poor countries care less about animals.

My favorite dish is called "Missionary Stew". It is a rare delicacy since it is illegal to hunt them. I prefer the type made from Southern Baptists as they taste better than New England Presbyterian. ;-)