Schoolchildren are being shown a dogs head to encourage them to care for canines and not see them as food.
The unusual ‘empathy’ lessons involve showing the kids in Cambodia, where dog and cat meat is eaten, the head and then performing a burial to help them to see dogs only as companions.
The British NoToDogMeat charity has been working with youngsters, many of whom will have seen dog meat at home, by bringing the head into the classroom at schools in the Kandal province.
Purchased from a local butcher, the grisly prop is something that the children are likely to have seen before, but throughout the class they learned about animal sentience, and even gave the deceased pup a name, before giving the body part a touching burial.
Tet Lin, 35, who ran the NoToDogMeat education session, said: “We came across a shop that sold us a dog's head. It cost $2.50 (£2).
“The burial of the dog's head was simply to demonstrate and teach kindness to the students. To be honest, some of those children's parents might eat dog meat.
“It is extremely difficult to change the minds of the older generation because they had to eat anything to survive the Pol Pot regime.”
The charity says that there is an urgent need to address the horrifying suffering of animals on Cambodian streets.
From pets being stolen from their families to stray animals being cruelly taken to slaughterhouses, these animals are in desperate need of protection from these heartbreaking fates.
The charity, which holds United Nations Special Consultative status, says that animal welfare laws must be strictly enforced, and that it is critical that people become aware of this issue and take action to support organisations working to end the dog and cat meat trade.
In Cambodia the province of Siem Reap has declared a commercial ban on dog meat. In the capital Phnom Penh, new rules were recently enacted restricted the trade.
The NoToDogMeat charity started in 2009, after London lawyer Julia de Cadenet saw for herself the horrors of the dog and cat meat trade.
Now supporting shelters and schemes in China, Cambodia and the Philippines, the charity hosts educational programmes as well as directly rescuing animals through slaughterhouse and truck raids.
Julia, 50 said: “Children really are the future in this fight, and by having classes like this the children will start to comprehend that treating animals with kindness will benefit them in the long run.
“It is so important that we run these projects to educate communities about dogs and cats, changing hearts and minds on animal welfare, because this way, even if the authorities do not enforce their own rules, society will have changed anyway.”
To find out more about NoToDogMeat, and to donate go to www.notodogmeat.com
