These are the shocking images of a
gruesome food market where dogs are strangled by rope for food and
customers can purchase whole flame-roasted animals.
The
Tomohon Traditional market in North Sulawesi, Indonesia sells whole
monkeys, bats, cats, dogs, pigs, rats, sloths and even giant pythons
laid out on tables with painful expressions still etched on their faces.
The
macabre food stalls were witnessed by Oman-based photographer and
blogger, Raymond Walsh, 44, who said it was easier to witness the dead
and mutilated animals than it was to see the living dogs in cages
awaiting their fate.
Grisly: The blackened bodies of dozens of dogs sit on a table in Tomohon Traditional market in North Sulawesi
Brutal: The dogs' flame-roasted bodies are curled up on a floor covered in blood at the Indonesian market
Sad: Not only is this dog likely to be turned
into meat, it is also chained to the floor of a cramped cage, leaving it
barely able to move in the hours before its death
Bloody: Most of the killing and butchery at the market takes place in view of the public. The result is harrowing
Mr Walsh said: 'It was
typical of a lot of local markets in the developing world - lots of
fruit, vegetables and fish. The only difference was the sheer number of
dead animals for sale.'
On
his blog www.manonthelam.com, he describes the harrowing sight of dogs
in cages with their dead counterparts lying on a table nearby.
The Tomohon Traditional market in North
Sulawesi, Indonesia sells whole monkeys, bats, cats, dogs (pictured),
pigs, rats, sloths and even giant pythons laid out on tables with
painful expressions still etched on their faces
The macabre food stalls were witnessed by Oman-based photographer and blogger, Raymond Walsh, 44
Scary: These terrifying and charred remains of a bat will be used in traditional Indonesian cooking
Mr Walsh said Tomohon was typical of a lot of
local markets in the developing world with lots of fruit, vegetables and
fish. The only difference was the sheer number of dead animals for
sale, including these rats
The Oman-based professional photographer said he found the sight of dead dogs particularity harrowing
Would you eat one? Roasted rats are piled up on a table inside Tomohon Traditional market in Indonesia
Skewered: The rats are flame-roasted on sticks after being killed by having their heads thumped against a tree
Although the market's dead dogs may be difficult for westerners to look at, Mr Walsh points to the different cultures and attitudes towards the animals in South East Asia.
'Put simply, Westerners see dogs solely as pets. Indonesians see them as both pets and as sources of meat - it's just how we're raised,' he said.
In the photographs, many of the animals are stiff and completely black with a haunting pained expressions on their faces.
'After they are killed the animals are roasted over a fire, so the fur burns off, the skin tightens and peels back, causing that 'screaming' look,' Mr Walsh explained.
'How they are killed depends on the animal. Cats, monkeys, and sloths are shot. Bats and rats have their heads clobbered against a tree or table. Pigs are stabbed with a sharp piece of wood or metal,' he added.
Bats are just one of the animals sold as meat at
the market. Mr Walsh says are killed by having their heads 'clobbered'
against a tree
When asked to describe the smell, Mr Walsh said:
'In a word, appalling. There's something about the air that changes
when there's that much death around'
Although the market's dead dogs may be difficult
for westerners to look at, Mr Walsh points to the different cultures
and attitudes towards the animals in South East Asia
In the photographs, many of the animals are
stiff and completely black with a haunting pained expressions on their
faces. On the left is a roasted monkey, while the animals on the right
are dead rats
Painful: Dead dogs and snakes can be seen all over the market, many with gaping wounds on their burnt bodies
'Wild boars are killed as they as they are trapped. Snakes are slashed with a knife or have their heads cut off. Dogs are strangled with a rope,' Mr Walsh went on.
When asked to describe the smell, Mr Walsh said: 'In a word, appalling. There's something about the air that changes when there's that much death around.'
'It hangs heavy and it made me queasy and light-headed at the same time... It's the first time I'd ever encountered anything like it,' he added.
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