In a powerful joint letter addressed to Indonesian President Joko Widodo, more than 30 prominent stars from the realms of acting, fashion, and music have called for an immediate end to Indonesia’s dog and cat meat trades. The celebrities include Jeff Bridges, Billie Eilish, Charlize Theron, Clint Eastwood, Kim Basinger, Courteney Cox, Ricky Gervais, Andie McDowell, and Zooey Deschanel.
The plea comes in the wake of a successful rescue operation conducted by animal charities Humane Society International (HSI) and Animal Friends Manado Indonesia (AFMI) at Tomohon Extreme Market, one of the country’s most notorious markets.
This year, the Tomohon Extreme Market, located in the city of Tomohon in North Sulawesi province, was permanently shut down in July by Mayor Caroll Senduk, in collaboration with HSI and AFMI.

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The market had been infamous for the slaughter and sale of over 130,000 dogs and countless cats annually. The charities rescued the remaining animals found alive at the market slaughterhouse.
Ending Indonesia’s dog meat trade
The joint letter commends the leaders across Indonesia who have taken steps to eradicate the dog and cat meat trades, acknowledging the 28 cities and regencies that have already passed directives and regulations prohibiting these trades.
“We are writing to extend our congratulations to those leaders throughout Indonesia who have taken action to eradicate the dog and cat meat trades in their jurisdictions, saving tens of thousands of dogs and cats every month from the cruel and dangerous trades,” the letter says.
The stars also highlight the groundbreaking action taken by the City of Tomohon. “There are now 28 cities and regencies that have passed Directives and regulations prohibiting the trades, as well as the Special Capital Region of Jakarta, and the groundbreaking and progressive action taken by the City of Tomohon in July ending the sale and slaughter of dogs and cats, and their meat, at the nation’s most infamous market—Tomohon Extreme Market.”
“We now urge the central government of Indonesia to ensure that all regulations and laws to end the cruel and dangerous dog and cat meat trades are fully enforced, and that a nationwide ban is introduced so that we can soon celebrate a truly dog and cat meat-free Indonesia,” the letter concludes with an urgent appeal to President Joko Widodo.
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In addition to American stars, the letter was also endorsed by some of Indonesia’s most influential celebrities, including Bubah Alfian, Cinta Laura Kiehl, D.J. Bryant, Davina Veronica, Luna Maya, and Prilly Latuconsia. It underscores the fact that a significant majority of Indonesians and international visitors oppose the cruel and exploitative dog and cat meat trade.
Celebrities take action
Lola Webber, HSI’s director of campaigns to end the dog meat trade, expressed gratitude for the support of global and Indonesian stars, emphasizing the importance of their voices in advocating for the millions of animals subjected to horrific abuse.
“We are so grateful to these outspoken Indonesian and global stars who are using their voices to speak up for the millions of dogs and cats who endure the most horrific abuse for the meat trade,” Webber said in a statement. “We echo their praise for those Indonesian leaders working with us to end this cruelty and we join with them in urging President Widodo to introduce a nationwide ban.”
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The celebrities were inspired to pen the letter following the successful dog and cat meat trade ban at Tomohon Market achieved by HSI and AFMI. The historic agreement signed by six dog and cat traders associated with the market has disrupted the vast supply network of animal thieves and traffickers involved in their brutal transport.
Frank Delano from AFMI highlighted the public health risks posed by the cat and dog meat trades, particularly the spread of the deadly rabies virus. “The dog and cat meat trades are not only obscenely cruel, but they also jeopardize public health through the spread of the deadly rabies virus during dog slaughter, butchery, and consumption. So to see these celebrities stand with the majority of Indonesian citizens in calling for an end to this miserable trade is really encouraging.”

Sometimes, our idea of a show isn’t the same as the actual show itself. We might misremember certain details because of the way the show has grown in the zeitgeist. Certain aspects make their way into the culture, while other parts fall by the wayside. Some of us remember Gilligan’s Island as being a show that was broadcast in color. However, its first season was originally broadcast in black and white.
We might look back on Rawhide and think that Clint Eastwood was the lead the whole time. He’s grown to be one of the biggest stars in the world, so it should follow that he was the biggest star of his show. Surely, Eastwood’s Rowdy Yates received top billing throughout the entire series, right?
The truth, though, is that for seasons 1 through 7, the star of Rawhide was Eric Fleming, the actor who played Gil Favor. Favor, the trail boss, began most episodes with a monologue. It was Favor who led the drovers, driving the cattle from town to town along each path they encountered. Especially in the earliest episodes, Clint Eastwood’s Rowdy Yates was young and impulsive. Gil Favor, as the leader, had to keep Yates under control.
As the show progressed, though, the network began making a few decisions about the direction the series would head in. Specifically, in 1965, CBS began shaking up the cast to better suit their vision. Rawhide wasn’t alone. That year, CBS also dramatically changed its show Hazel, switching up the family that Shirley Booth worked for as the title character. The series, to network executives, had grown stale, and the bright and shiny new couple was supposed to breathe fresh life into the show.
Rawhide saw some big changes at the behest of those same network executives. Eric Fleming was out, and newcomers Raymond St. Jacques and David Watson were in. These new faces were meant to punch up the series to hopefully attract new audiences.
Who was there to lead the new herd? Why, naturally, it was Rowdy Yates! Clint Eastwood became the top-billed star on Rawhide thanks to CBS interference. Yates was trail boss for Rawhide‘s eighth and final season.

Very few actors in the history of cinema can compare to the sheer cultural might of Clint Eastwood, with only a few American stars able to rub shoulders with the western icon, including John Wayne, Marlon Brando and James Dean. One of the few actors to successfully transition into being a director, Eastwood never won an Oscar for any of his performances but has claimed four Academy Awards for his directing over the years.
As one of America’s greatest actors, there’s no surprise that he has featured in some of Hollywood’s very best movies, including Sergio Leone’s seminal Dollars trilogy and Don Siegel’s Dirty Harry. But, just like every actor, not every single one of his movies was perfect, and, in 1969, he made the surprising decision to feature in a musical, namely Joshua Logan’s Paint Your Wagon.
Based on the Broadway show of the name, the musical tells the story of the survivor of a wagon crash who discovers gold before engaging in a love triangle where he and another man are vying for the love of a woman, Paint Your Wagon is never talked about for a reason. Criticised by movie fans and critics alike, one of the most highly probed aspects of the film was Eastwood’s dodgy vocal performance.
“I was crazy enough to try anything,” the actor later admitted, “I’ve always been interested in music, my father was a singer, and I had some knowledge of it. Although what I was doing in that picture was not singing”.
The actor had thought he was signing up for a gritty musical, having read the script, which he liked very much. Yet, further down the line, the screenplay became targeted at a much more general audience, with Eastwood admitting that the script got “much lighter, it just didn’t have the dynamics that the original script did. And that was another long shoot”.
Eastwood later admitted, “That was not as pleasant an experience as I was used to,” in relation to his role in the misguided musical, with the actor listing it alongside some of his least favourite movies of his entire career.
Paint Your Wagon certainly ranks beside Ambush at Cimarron Pass, a film that the actor calls, “probably the worst film ever made” before saying in caveat, “But I had the second lead in it, and an actor named Scott Brady was the lead. And the film was made in eight days. So it was really el speedo grande”.