Cambodian dog meat traders drown, strangle and stab thousands of canines a day in a shadowy but sprawling business that traumatises workers and exposes them to deadly health risks like rabies. Khieu Chan bursts into tears when describing a job that haunts him as he goes to sleep: he kills up to six dogs a day, slicing their throats. “Please forgive me. “If I don’t kill you, I can’t feed my family,” the 41-year-old tells the 10 dogs awaiting their fate in a cage. A cheap source of protein, dog meat is still eatem in several Asian countries from China and South Korea to Vietnam and non-Muslim communities in Indonesia. Animal welfare activists say consumption has declined as the region’s middle class has grown — more people own pets, and there’s greater stigma associated with eating dog. But the brutal trade has flown under the radar in Cambodia where new research shows a thriving business involving roving dog catchers, unlicensed slaughterhouses and many restaurants in cities selling so-called “special meat”. An estimated two to three million dogs are slaughtered annually in Cambodia, according to the NGO Four Paws, which identified more than 100 dog meats restaurants in the capital Phnom Penh and about 20 in the temple town of Siem Reap. “It has this massive trade,” says Katherine Polak, a Thailand-based veterinarian who works with the NGO, which recently presented findings to the government. Officials were “shocked” by the magnitude, she claims. Rabies crisis Motorbike riders criss-cross northern Cambodia trading pots, pans and cookware for unwanted dogs, loading them into a heavy rectangular cage on the back seat and making deliveries to middlemen. Live specimens fetch $2 to $3 per kilo, incentivising suppliers to collect as many as possible.