The Dogs of India

Bennett Cain July 5, 2016

With 1.25 billion people, India has an absolutely massive human population. Prior to coming here, I was expecting to find visual evidence of this but the one thing I hadn’t considered was the seemingly equal amount of domesticated animals roaming the streets. Monkeys, cows, goats, pigs, chickens, donkeys, horses, camels, elephants, and the staggering number of stray dogs. With numbers no less than 30 million, there are more semi-feral canines in India than anywhere else in the world. They're found in any city, town, or village, and roaming in packs in remote rural areas. Because of the sheer volume of the dog population, 36% of the world’s rabies deaths are in India; 20,000 per year will die out of the 35,000 documented infections. This is a public health problem of massive proportions.

Prior to British colonization and the arrival of other dog breeds, the most commonly found canine on the subcontinent was the ancient, indigenousPariah Dog, also known as the Pye Dog or India Native Dog. While generations of interbreeding have left the Pariah Dog mostly mixed today, this guy I saw in Delhi exhibits many of the physical traits

While the name refers to an indigenous Indian breed, "Pariah Dog" has come to encompass all street dogs here. This name also suggests a scavenger species largely regarded as a threat or nuisance and living on the fringes of society. Their connection to people is ancient though, one of the oldest in the world, and many dogs are put to work as guards in slums in exchange for food. As with other animals here, people have traditionally just left the dogs alone but this neglect is part of the problem. The colonial solution was to round them up and kill them. As of 2001 this is now illegal but without a real policy in place, the problem of stray dogs attacking and infecting peoples remains largely status quo.

For a scavenger species, the large amounts of exposed garbage found all over India provide an abundant food source. Slums are the biggest refuse producer and as long as human beings are living without access to proper sanitation or waste disposal, there will always be large numbers of stray dogs.

Two dogs can multiply into three hundred within three years so sterilization is a more humane approach. Cities such as Jaipur and Mumbai have been successful in their programs to neuter, vaccinate, and return animals to their territorial areas. This keeps other dogs from coming in and breeding. The neutered animals will eventually die naturally and reduce their overall numbers. Implementing similar measures on a national level has yet to happen.

All across developing Asia, it's becoming rather posh by the middle and upper classes to keep thorough-bred dogs and it's no different in India. Even so, the average visitor is more likely to see street dogs in a wretched state rather than loved and well cared for animals. Letting a dog live in your house and be a member of the family is a relatively foreign concept in this part of the world. In my experience with dogs in India, most seemed pretty docile; afraid of humans and trying to avoid them. Even if food is offered, they're very skittish. A dog's life here is not an easy one.

Nam Ou River Elephant Sanctuary, Laos

Bennett Cain July 5, 2016

Originally published on Instagram December 3, 2014.

I wasn’t sure I wanted to visit the Nam Ou Elephant Sanctuary near Luang Prabang in Laos. When traveling in Southeast Asia you see advertisements for elephant shows in all countries. On them are pictures of the animals walking around on their hind legs, kicking soccer balls, and having their backs overloaded with heavy tourists. I heard a lot about the mistreatment in places like this like during the high season they're often worked to the point of exhaustion.

Throughout Asia the concept of animal welfare is a relatively new one. Many cultures here historically do not hold the value that wildlife has the right to exist undisturbed. They view anything in nature as something there for their own use. These are very deeply seeded beliefs and I saw countless displays of it in the two months I spent traveling in China and have been reminded of the sentiment throughout Southeast Asia. Because of this, I had a lot of apprehension about taking part in any kind “elephant experience” here.

But then I learned there are basically no wild elephants left in Laos. The ancient name for this county was Lan Xang which means "Land of One Million Elephants." Today there are about 1,000 and over 70% of this remaining population have been put to work in inaccessible deep jungle logging camps. Here they knock down massive mahogany trees and drag them down the side of steep hills that are impossible for conventional, mechanized logging equipment. Ironically these animals are very well suited to the task of destroying their own habitat. I'll admit I knew nothing about this before coming here.

Some of the “mahout,” or elephant handlers working in parks like this learned their craft in illegal logging camps so are not crazy about having a lens on them.

Organizations like the Nam Ou Sanctuary offer constructive employment to the villages nearby and the park has proven to be a good thing for the local economy. Because land and animal conservation are not traditionally held values, it’s only through education and showing people alternative practices that long-term sustainability will be achieved. I’ve ascertained from those on the front lines that it’s a depressing uphill battle.

Elephants in Laos don't get a name until they’re 3 years old. This little one was born at Nam Ou Sanctuary and will be “Naughty Baby Elephant” for another year.

Had she the unfortunate luck to have been born in a logging camp, next year upon receiving her name she’d be taken from her mother and then tortured for several years to completely break her spirit. Essentially elephants in logging camps are used as living tractors and worked just as hard. The process used to get them to his state of servile submission is an absolutely brutal one that results in these animals being terrified of any human. It can often take years before a rescue is able to be shown to visitors.

The elephants at Nam Ou are all female rescues aged 20-45 or were born at the sanctuary. The process of getting an elephant here is costly, time intensive, and dangerous. It involves going to an illegal camp numerous times and observing the elephants working there. The management will always try and sell animals that are on the verge of death so sanctuaries with limited resources try and purchase ones not beyond rehabilitation. It's about 80,000 USD for one elephant and the price is going up as zoos in China and Korea are becoming more popular domestic tourist destinations. The sad reality is that these animals are much safer here in captivity than if left in the wild where they would certainly be poached or end up in a logging camp.

Part of the experience here is taking a short ride on the elephant with a mahout. It’s an amazing sensation feeling your bare foot against the elephant’s massive head.

I was initially skeptical but having such close contact with an endangered animal really does change your perception about their situation. It makes you care more. If most people alive could have this experience, it would likely improve elephant welfare worldwide. Such a shame that for most, a picture in a book or magazine is all they'll ever know about these remarkable creatures. This park is very concerned with their animal's well being and only allows them to be ridden for one hour at a time twice a day. Some of these parks, those in Thailand in particular, put their animals under too much stress so I recommend researching any company in Asia offering “wildlife experiences” before giving them your money.

After the ride the elephants are guided down to the Mekong River for a refreshing dip.

If ever in Laos, which is the most amazing country in Southeast Asia, I can’t recommend a visit to this elephant sanctuary enough. The organization responsible for the the Nam Ou park is doing excellent work in a totally unscrupulous business. Awareness doesn’t change anything unfortunately but is the only place to start.

A Dog Meat Market in Guilin City, China

Bennett Cain July 5, 2016

If you have a western concept of animal cruelty you will find these images extremely graphic and upsetting. Proceed at your own risk.

I'm in China now and everyday something reminds me how little we in the west actually know about this remarkable place. Many of the things we think we know are simply incorrect. Or unclear. Or incomprehensible from our perspective.

One of the questions about this country I've heard again and again is, "Do the Chinese eat dogs and cats?"

This topic is taboo in the western world as our dogs and cats are regarded as beloved members of the family and the thought of harming them in any way fills us with horror. Because of this, when the question comes up with the Chinese it's usually with some controversy. I've heard many different answers from people both here and living abroad.

"No, that's horrible! We keep them as pets, like you."

"Some do, but I don't!"

"Only in some provinces do they do that."

"We have a special kind of dog for eating."

"It's tasty. You should try it."

I realize I run the risk of being accused of cultural insensitivity by publishing these images and sharing my point of view. The answer to the above question is yes, dogs and cats are consumed in this country. Most Chinese, particularly the growing urban middle class, are very much against it but the reality is that the meat is readily available. But why when there is so much high quality meat from more "conventional" sources available. China has endured numerous horrific famines throughout its history and perhaps this practice is a vestige from more difficult times. Or maybe not. The average Chinese lives on less than 3000 USD per year so could equally be for economic reasons. It's with such ambiguity that this topic is even discussed.

I suppose it's really not much worse than the industrial rearing and slaughter of the animals we deem culturally acceptable to eat in the west. The main difference being you can't walk into a slaughterhouse in Texas and see how the sausage is made whereas here the death of living things is much more present. The brutal reality of where food comes from is something many in China are confronted with in a way that we're simply unaccustomed to in our part of the world.

In Guangxi Province is the beautiful mountain county of Yangshuo and in its capital, Guilin City, behind an unassuming entrance off the main road is the large central market. Here fresh vegetables from surrounding farms, fish and plants from the Li River, and local meat is sold.

The meat market is a large open arcade selling live animals, on-site killing and butchering, and various fresh cuts. Note meat sold in open markets in China is not refrigerated.

Beyond these meat counters are stalls containing various livestock.

You can pick out a bird and these folk will kill it, dress it, and chop it up for you. Now that's fresh chicken buddy!

Beyond the more pedestrian fare lies the real horror show. In the back of the building is an open room where live dogs and cats are killed, butchered, and their meat sold. Anyone walking by can clearly see what's going on.

Behind the pile of chopped up dog you'll notice stacks of crates holding live ones awaiting slaughter. The dogs sold at this market are definitely not bred for consumption. They are strays; homeless, desperately sick, and now subjected to one last bit of bad luck in finding themselves in this awful place.

These cats are barely alive. Dehydrated, malnourished, diseased, and now dinner. I'm no expert but having seen the level of pollution in Chinese cities no one should be eating any animal that's been surviving in these conditions.

If you're feeling peckish, you can even sample some of the cuisine right at the market.

Many Chinese do keep family dogs and you see plenty of loved and well cared for animals here.

After visiting here I began researching this topic extensively and started watching out for "香肉 xiāng ròu" or "Fragrant Meat" on menus throughout the country. Guangxi, the province in which the rural county of Yangshuo is in is actually famous for its dog meat consumption. The nearby town of Yulin is notorious for its annual Dog Meat Festival in observance of the summer solstice. Guangxi is one of China's several ethnic Autonomous Regions, home to the majority of the Zhuang people, China's most populous group behind the Han Chinese. While the inhabitants of this province, both Zhuang and Han, are well known for their love of "fragrant meat", this practice is by no means exclusive to this area. I've seen dog meat restaurants in at least 10 cities and towns between Hong Kong and Beijing.

"Reality" is relative to the culture of the observer. I find myself unable to shy away no matter how much something like this conflicts with my own values. I hate to end on a judgmental note but strong opinions are occasionally unavoidable. I find the practice of consuming dogs and cats to be uncivilized and inhumane. My western conditioning won't let me get beyond the sympathy I see in a dog's smart eyes.