HONOLULU—A state legislator is pushing a bill that would ban the slaughter of dogs and cats for food, drawing protests from members of some Asian ethnic groups who believe the measure is aimed at unfounded and racist stereotypes of their cultures.
Animal rights groups pushed for the bill’s introduction this month, even though joint investigations last year by the Hawaiian Humane Society and Animal Crimestoppers yielded no proof that anyone uses the pets as food.
State Rep. Glenn Wakai, who introduced the measure, said it is aimed at stemming the growth of a “cottage industry” with the potential to threaten public health. He said news reports last August about dogs being stolen and butchered in some Oahu neighborhoods proves there’s a problem.
Eating dog meat is tolerated in some Asian cultures, but many families from Asia settled in Hawaii generations ago and now consider the practice repugnant.
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State Rep. Alex Sonson says the proposed measure is a reaction to hearsay and would harm the image of Filipinos, Koreans and other Asian ethnic groups who make up the majority of the state’s population.
“It perpetuates this myth that every Filipino is eating it,” Sonson said. “But they’re not.”
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(Posted on February 22, 2005)