FEATURE: Poor Cambodians turning to dog meat for snacks, protein

A Cambodian woman grills dog meat in Phnom Penh for sale to customers, many of whom are fi... With higher food prices cutting into the livelihoods of poorer Cambodians, some are turning to dog meat as a cheaper protein source. Ang Chhunly, chief of the Phnom Penh Municipal Veterinary Office, says sales of dog meat are definitely increasing, but that it is hard to place a value or size on the trade because much of the meat is being sold outside traditional markets. Some other veterinarians, who asked not to be identified, claimed as many as 500 dogs are being sold each day for food in the Cambodian capital. Chan Kheng, 32, a dog-meat seller in the city, told Kyodo News she sells between 70 and 80 kilograms of dog meat a day, mostly to poorer Cambodians. Chan Kheng, who has run the business for five years, said her trade is... [read full story]