Government of East Kalimantan Takes a Compassionate Step Toward Banning the Dog and Cat Meat Trade

Vienna/Jakarta, 22 January 2026

• The regional Governor’s circular letter provides strong support for the Animal Protection and Welfare Bill, which seeks to introduce a nationwide ban on Indonesia’s widespread dog and cat meat trade (DCMT)
• This unregulated trade kills more than one million cats and dogs each year and poses a serious public-health risk by fueling the spread of rabies
• Dogs and cats still lack consistent legal protection across Indonesia, as regulations vary significantly between provinces, regencies and cities

On 24 December, the Government of East Kalimantan (also referred to as East Borneo) introduced a compassionate measure for more animal welfare. Governor Rudy Mas'ud signed a circular letter serving as a formal administrative directive that signals the province’s policy opposing the dog and cat meat trade (DCMT) to subordinate regional and district institutions, including agricultural and veterinary authorities. While the circular letter represents an important first step against DCMT, it does not yet establish legally enforceable penalties. Global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS and its partners will continue to advocate for a binding regional regulation and, ultimately, for a national law to fully prohibit the DCMT across Indonesia.

Highest rabies prevalence in regions with the highest dog meat consumption 

The DCMT poses a serious threat to public health in Indonesia. It is a major driver of rabies transmission and other infectious diseases because it relies on transporting animals of unknown disease or vaccination status across provincial borders. Rabies remains endemic in most parts of the country, and outbreaks have been strongly linked to the handling and consumption of dog meat. East Kalimantan has set the ambitious goal of becoming rabies-free by 2028, making efforts to curb the DCMT especially critical for safeguarding communities and reducing preventable deaths.

“Evidence shows that the provinces and regencies in Indonesia with the highest demand for dog meat are also those with the highest prevalence of rabies. East Kalimantan’s ambitious goal of becoming rabies-free within the next three years can only be achieved if the dog and cat meat trade is banned,” says Dharmpaul. 

Background  

Animal Protection and Welfare Bill 

Indonesia’s Animal Protection and Welfare Bill is a proposed law intended to create a stronger, unified legal framework for the humane treatment of animals across the country. The bill seeks to outlaw acts of cruelty and neglect, improve standards for animal care, and strengthen enforcement and penalties, addressing gaps in existing laws that are seen as weak or fragmented. A notable provision in the draft is the proposed ban on the trade and consumption of dog and cat meat, both to reduce animal suffering and to protect public health from zoonotic diseases such as rabies. In 2025, the bill was included in Indonesia’s 2026 Priority National Legislation Program, marking a significant step toward its potential adoption, though it is still under parliamentary discussion and not yet enacted into law. 

The dog and cat meat trade in Indonesia 

Across Indonesia, more than one million dogs and countless cats are killed each year for meat—many of them stolen pets or strays taken from the streets and illegally transported over long distances to makeshift slaughterhouses, where they are often bludgeoned and killed in full view of other animals. As of late 2025, 114 regencies, cities, and provinces have issued circular letters banning the trade, reflecting growing national momentum toward ending this cruelty. In a landmark move, the Provincial Government of Jakarta enacted a legally binding ban on the trade, sale, slaughter, and consumption of dogs and cats, effective 24 November 2025. This historic step has positioned Jakarta as a beacon of hope, paving the way for comprehensive, nationwide reform in both animal protection and public health. 

FOUR PAWS and partner organisations in the region 

FOUR PAWS and its local partners have been working on ending the DCMT in this region since 2020. Pro Natura, the local partner in the city of Balikpapan, plays a key role—especially given the future significance of the area with Indonesia’s new capital Nusantara, being developed in East Kalimantan. The first DCMT activities by FOUR PAWS initiated an investigation into the trade in Balikpapan and the surrounding areas with the support of local activists. The resulting 2021 report revealed the scale and dangers of this uncontrolled, cross-regional trade. Since then, FOUR PAWS has continued to collaborate with its local partners and engaged in ongoing advocacy efforts targeting the local government and the mayor of Balikpapan. In December 2022, a mass sterilisation clinic was organised together with the local agricultural department, marking the first major NGO government collaboration in the region to promote humane population control as an alternative to killing or capturing stray animals, whether for the DCMT or general population management. 

FOUR PAWS and the work of DMFI in Indonesia 

Dog Meat Free Indonesia (DMFI) is a coalition of national and international animal protection organisations comprising Jakarta Animal Aid Network, Animal Friends Jogja, Humane World for Animals (formerly known as Humane Society International), Animals Asia and FOUR PAWS, which exposes the brutality of the DCMT and campaigns for a ban on the grounds of animal cruelty and risks to public health. FOUR PAWS works through the DMFI coalition by providing investigative capacity, public health framing, legal expertise, global mobilisation, and sustained pressure, while Indonesian partners lead on-the-ground advocacy and political engagement. This division of roles has enabled DMFI to secure widespread subnational bans, advance national legislation, and position the end of the dog and cat meat trade as both an animal welfare and public health imperative in Indonesia. 

On 24 December, the Governor of East Kalimantan has signed a circular letter formally opposing the dog and cat meat trade. With this important directive to improve animal welfare, the province of Indonesia's future capital joins more than 100 cities, provinces and regencies nationwide that have already issued circular letters, in calling for an end to this cruel trade-one that not only results in the killing of millions of dogs and cats but also poses serious risks to human health through the spread of rabies and other infectious diseases.