Animal welfare organization Network for Animals (NFA) has uncovered a new, rising trend of appalling treatment, torture and killing of dogs in Jordan, in the Middle East. Chinese guest workers are torturing and cooking street dogs, which are caught and delivered to them by local factory workers.
“Last year NFA lobbied the Jordanian government to clamp down on joyriders shooting street dogs for sport. But this new horror has emerged, and street dogs are under a greater threat than ever,” says NFA campaigner, Luke Barritt.
The country is boosting economic ties and trade relations with China. Trade between China and Jordan expanded to $3.1 billion (£2.5 billion) in 2018, and there are now many Chinese-owned factories, power plants and shale gas facilities. As a result, many Chinese workers are moving to Jordan, bringing their traditional outlooks and customs – including the consumption of dog meat.
NFA campaigners have witnessed heartless local Jordanian factory workers capitalizing by luring street dogs with food, then seizing them and selling them to Chinese workers.
Shameful cruelty often ensues, because many Chinese believe that torturing the dog makes the meat softer and tastier. And the dogs are often skinned alive before being eaten.
NFA’s Luke Barritt saved one dog that was chained outside a Chinese factory, without shelter from the blistering sun. “There’s no doubt he was destined for the cooking pot,” says Barritt. “He was lucky we were there, but there are so many more animals being subjected to this horrifying fate.”
“But we will rapidly lobby the government to stop this barbarity, and in the meantime rescue as many dogs as we can, working with our Jordanian partner, Al-Rahmeh,” concluded Barritt.
You can find out more about Network for Animals and our Dogs In Distress campaign by clicking here.