Hope Thailand, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the prevention of cruelty to animals, has been urging local officials in the northern province of Nan to prevent villagers in Ban Huai Klaeb, in Song Khwae district, holding a ritualistic dog sacrifice.
According to Hope Thailand’s web page, the ritual, which was scheduled to take place at about 3pm on Sunday, was halted by the village headman after the organisation’s intervention.
A Hope Thailand official said that he received a call from a man, identified only as Krit, who first learned about the sacrificial ritual via social media and then sought help from the organisation.
The organisation’s staff then fact checked the report and discovered that it is authentic.
He also said that he then called the headman of Ban Huai Klaeb, Sawat, and asked him to stop the ritual from taking place, as it is against the law covering the prevention of cruelty to animals.
The official also contacted the chief of the Livestock Development Office in Nan, asking them to send a veterinarian to the village to see the headman.
Photo credit to Facebook page of The Hope Thailand
Subsequently, the headman called a meeting with the village committee and it was agreed that the ritual would be “postponed”.
The official added that the parents of Krit, the whistle-blower, are now under heavy pressure from the village committee over her son’s exposure of the ritual. The committee has, though, demanded that Krit return to the village from Lampang to explain his action.
The official said he is concerned for the safety of Krit and his parents, adding that he has sought help from the deputy governor of Nan by explaining to the villagers that the killing of dogs as a ritual sacrifice is illegal.
Officials from Hope Thailand also plan a visit Ban Huai Klaeb to talk the village headman about ceasing the practice and to educate the villagers on the laws which protect animals from cruelty.
