Sixty eight villagers were hospitalized after eating a dog which had been killed by a disease in northern Namibia, the local newspaper The Namibian reported Wednesday.

After contracting an unknown disease, the dog's owner ordered for it to be killed and its carcass burned.

Instead villagers of Oikokola shared the meat with people from the nearby Onepandaulo village.

The villagers, who fell ill, were hospitalized; most have made recovery.

Naftali Hamata, the director of health for northern Namibia, has warned locals against eating meat from any infected animals.

"Dog meat is considered a delicacy among tribes in northern Namibia, and calls by animal rights organizations to end the practice are ignored", reports the Associated Press.