Bring a doggie bag when visiting Sidonganti village
Bring a doggie bag when visiting Sidonganti village
By Gin Kurniawan
TUBAN, East Java (JP): Those afraid of dogs should beware.
They should not enter Sidonganti village because there are many
dogs in this village, located in Kerek district, Tuban regency,
East Java.
An enormous number of dogs are found roaming the streets.
Nearly all residents raise dogs as people may breed other animals
like goats, cows or chicken. Not surprisingly every day in this
village dogs bark stridently, grating on eardrums and frightening
passers-by.
Sidonganti village, which occupies a chalky hilly terrain has
recently become known as a dog village because of its huge supply
of dogs for consumption. In the beginning the name of the village
was only known by dog traders in East Java. Of late traders have
been coming from other provinces like Central Java and Jakarta.
It has become a public secret that there are eateries and
restaurants serving dog meat which is haram (forbidden) for
Muslims. In Jakarta, some restaurants specializing in food from
North Sumatra and Manado, North Sulawesi, include dog meat
dishes. In East and Central Java, eatery owners serve dog meat as
sate jamu (satay with herbal medicine effects). This is connected
with the belief that dog meat can cure certain diseases. Some
people are said to believe that dog meat has aphrodisiacal
properties.
According to Yassin, 43, a local community figure, dog traders
from Jakarta have only recently come to the village but their
visits have had a positive impact on the villagers, especially
the dog raisers. There is increasing enthusiasm to breed dogs
because the animals fetch good prices.
"People, not interested in dog raising before, have now
started to breed the animals as a means to increase income.
Nearly all inhabitants now keep dogs," said Yassin, also a
breeder.
Information gained from a number of Sidonganti residents
reveals that no fewer than 1,000 dogs are sent to Jakarta every
month. "The demand is actually higher, but our capacity is
limited," said Pardjo, 36, another dog breeder.
In the village, dogs are priced between Rp 20,000 and Rp
35,000. The traders can sell them in Jakarta for three or four
times as much.
The raising of dogs at Sidonganti may be connected with the
structure of the village situated in the middle of a jati
(teakwood) forest. The houses are sparsely located and the
villagers keep dogs as guards for the house and to protect the
rice fields against wild boars. They also use the dogs when
hunting.
The term "dog village" does not bring pride to the residents.
On the contrary, most of them feel ashamed because they raise
dogs for consumption.
"We feel ashamed because dogs are haram according to Islam," a
number of them have said.
They raise dogs because they are compelled by the situation to
survive.
The life of these people, consisting of 350 family heads
living in the 11,700 square meter village is distressing. They
mostly live in simple houses with walls of bark planks and
bamboo.
Sidonganti is indeed a backward village; it is categorized as
a minus area. The village is located about 40 km southeast of
Tuban. The remote hilly terrain has hindered development of
facilities as well as the infrastructure. The inhabitants are
dependent on crop farming which is difficult in the arid land.
The land must be worked to store rain water because it consists
mainly of rocky elements.
The inhabitants must walk several kilometers to fetch clean
water from a water reservoir. The water is collected from a
source below the hill and channeled by pumps through pipes to
Sidonganti.
"We have no animals to raise apart from dogs. We are not
capable of raising other animals. Besides, these animals are easy
to keep because they can find their own food in the forest," said
Yassin.