Good News! Indonesian Government Finally Bans Fights Between Dogs and Wild Boars
Adu bagong or dugong, the cruel “sport” in which dogs and wild boars are forced into an enclosure to tear one another to shreds in a fight to the death while spectators cheer and gamble on a “winner,” has finally been banned in Indonesia. After footage of one of these horrific events—released by the Scorpion Foundation—went viral, animal activists called on Indonesia’s government to end these fights. Ahmad Heryawan, the governor of West Java, called the torture of animals a criminal offence and wrote to all the province’s regency heads and mayors to ask them to ban the blood sport. This led the regional government to take action against the barbaric spectacles.
A dog and wild boar fight during a contest in Indonesia, and more photos of the week: https://t.co/dX2lHndcWk pic.twitter.com/HX15oGFucw
— Reuters Pictures (@reuterspictures) October 22, 2017
Indonesia is no stranger to entertainment that involves cruelty to animals. Taman Safari in Bogor allows visitors to pose with drugged lions for selfies, and its zoos are some of the worst in the world. Earlier this year, sun bears at the Bandung Zoo were filmed begging for food from visitors, and the Surabaya Zoo is known as the “zoo of death” because so many animals die there. The government ban on fights between dogs and wild boars is a step in the right direction for animals, and we look forward to Indonesian authorities taking further action to help end cruelty to animals in the country.
What You Can Do
It’s almost impossible to believe that animals are being tortured and killed in the name of entertainment and tradition. Please, never attend an event in which animals are forced to fight. If you suspect that illegal activity is occurring in your neighborhood, report it to the authorities. Encourage government officials to enforce cruelty-to-animals laws and existing bans on animal fighting.
