Shocking images have emerged that reveal the cruelties inflicted by Indonesia’s dog meat industry – where stray animals are beaten to death with hammers so that they be served in cheap curries.
Photographer Eko Siswono Toyudho took the graphic pictures after managing to get into a dog slaughter house in Jakarta through a friend who runs a dog meat restaurant.
He said stray dogs are bought for 150,000 to 250,000 rupiah (£8 to £14) depending on their size and chained up and fed rice and vegetables in a ‘quarantine house’.
Dogs are chained up before being killed at the dog slaughter house in Jakarta
The photos lift the lid on Indonesia’s dog meat industry where stray animals are sometimes beaten to death with hammer
The animals are served as food to eat for dog meat lovers
Spices are used to make the dog meat more palatable
The value of each dog is determined by its size – they are chained up and fed rice and vegetables in a quarantine house prior to being killed
The photos taken by Eko Siswono Toyudho show the beginning of the slaughter process all the way through to the grisly end
Eko said he witnessed dogs being beaten to death with hammers in the tourist hotspot before their flesh was chopped up and cooked with ‘special spices’ in the nearby restaurant.
The journalist, from Jakarta, captured the inhumane scenes on camera in September 2015 but has never released his photographs until now due to their shocking nature.
But he claims both the slaughterhouse and dog meat restaurant – based to the east of Jakarta – are still running, with three to six dogs killed there each day.
‘I witnessed the dogs beaten to death with hammers and left bleeding before being sliced up in order to be cooked,’ he said.
‘Mongrel dogs are obtained from across West Jawa and Banten for 150,000 to 250,000 rupiah (£8 to £14) per animal, depending on their size.
‘Each day, between three and six dogs are processed there to be made into a food named ‘Saksang’.
Mr Toyudho said that the flesh is cooked with special spices such as Andaliman and Asam Glugur before being served at special small restaurants for 30,000 rupiahs (£1.65) per portion.
‘Dog meat is a typical cuisine from this area of Indonesia, and is much in demand,’ he said.
Dogs often befriend their killers who feed them with human food such as vegetables and rice before slaughtering them
Most of the dogs that are killed are strays but some are obtained from across West Jawa and Banten
The photographer said he witnessed dogs being beaten to death with hammers and left bleeding before being sliced up in order to be cooked
Photographer Eko Siswono Toyudho took the graphic pictures after gaining access to a dog slaughter house in Jakarta through a friend who runs a dog meat restaurant
‘It is a traditional food for the Batak people from North Sumatera, who like it because it is part of their tradition. According to them, the meat is delicious.
‘However, it can only be served in certain dishes and restaurants, and is sometimes hidden from the menu.
‘Both the quarantine home and the restaurant are still open now.’
Eko said the dogs bought by the ‘quarantine house’ are mongrels taken from the streets of West Jawa and Banten.
In his heartbreaking images, pooches can be seen chained up in the quarantine house.
More graphic photographs show the animals lying dead and their bodies lying in baskets with their fur singed off.
The cruel nature of the animals’ deaths is certain to upset campaigners around the world
Each day, between three and six dogs are processed there to be made into a food named ‘Saksang’
His final photographs show what appears to be the dog meat – which resembles pork – being cooked before curries are made using the flesh.
Eko said the dog quarantine is based on demand, and during the wait to be killed the dogs are given human food like rice and vegetables.
He said: ‘My photos show dogs in the quarantine zone before being cooked for food.
‘I captured the beginning of the process until the end, when the animals are served as food to eat for dog meat lovers.
‘I decided to take these photographs because as a journalist I feel it is my duty to tell the story.
‘As an animal lover I feel it’s a pity to see this kind of activity, but there is nothing I can do about it to stop it.
‘Maybe by telling the story, it will raise awareness with the public.
Dog food is traditional for the Batak people from North Sumatera, who like it because it is part of their tradition
‘I understand people from Western cultures will find this practice upsetting and horrifying, and I hope there will be more done to condemn this kind of activity – but it is their tradition.
‘I just feel pity for the dogs beaten to death, but hope my pictures speak for themselves.’
Pressure group Dog Meat Free Indonesia says that every year millions of dogs are transported through Indonesia for the dog meat trade – some of which are stolen family pets.
They believe seven per cent of the Indonesian population eat dog meat but say the trade threatens the health of the whole country by contributing to rabies outbreaks.