Jakarta bans sale and consumption of dog, cat and bat meat after 25 rabies deaths

Indonesia’s capital prohibits meat consumption of the animals, challenging a cultural delicacy and cheap protein source for some

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Dogs in a cage at a slaughterhouse in Tomohon, North Sulawesi, Indonesia in 2023. Photo: AP

Published: 12:00am, 26 Nov 2025Updated: 12:29am, 26 Nov 2025

Indonesia’s capital Jakarta has banned the selling and consumption of dog, cat and bat meat to prevent rabies transmission, the city’s governor announced on Tuesday, in a win for animal rights advocates.

“I have signed the regulation … which prohibits the sale of rabies-transmitting animals for food purposes,” Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung said in a statement on social media, a month after promising to do so.

The regulation, which Pramono said he signed on Monday, provides a six-month grace period before it is enforced, according to a document seen by Agence France-Presse.

Violators could face sanctions, ranging from written warnings to revocation of business licenses.

A member of an anti-animal-cruelty group carries a dog from a slaughterhouse in Tomohon, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, in 2023. Photo: AP

The governor said the ban applies to “live animals, meat, or other products, either raw or processed”, and prohibits any “activities related to … rabies-transmitting animals intended for food purposes”.

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Jakarta bans sale and consumption of dog, cat and bat meat after 25 rabies deaths

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Indonesia’s capital prohibits meat consumption of the animals, challenging a cultural delicacy and cheap protein source for some

Indonesia’s capital prohibits meat consumption of the animals, challenging a cultural delicacy and cheap protein source for some