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HKCulture3 days ago

Cats rescued from slaughter in Vietnam spotlight enduring pet meat trade

Vietnamese police rescued approximately 400 pet cats from a trafficking network involved in the pet meat trade. The cats were discovered during an operation targeting a criminal network that steals and transports pets for sale across provinces. Many cat owners gathered at a police station to check if their missing pets were among those recovered. While eating dog and cat meat is legal in Vietnam, it requires proper permits to ensure the animals were not stolen. Some rescued cats were in poor health and had recently given birth.

A Vietnamese police operation rescued about 400 pet cats destined for the dinner plate, uncovering a nationwide racket fuelling the country’s rampant pet meat trade that uses a criminal corridor running from the south to the north.

Hundreds of desperate cat owners rushed to a Ho Chi Minh police headquarters over the weekend to see if their lost pet was among the cats rescued from traffickers by police.

In what is believed to be one of the largest busts of its kind, police said the cats were found after officers smashed a network that allegedly stole and trafficked the creatures for sale across provinces, according to state-controlled news portal Tuoi Tre.

Cats seized by police in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on Monday. Photo: Humane World for Animals Viet Nam

While consumption rates are slowly declining as cultural mores change, eating dog and cat meat is legal in most of Vietnam, mainly at street stalls and restaurants.

However, sellers must have permits to prove the animal was not part of a rampant trade in stolen pets, where brazen thieves on motorbikes break into properties and use nets and catchpoles to scoop up domestic animals for criminal gangs who trade the meat.

Vets, owners and cat lovers descended on the Ho Chi Minh police precinct to help feed and care for the felines, some of whom were in poor health and had just given birth to kittens.

“People who lost their cats can come to the police station to identify their pets and help police with the investigation,” police official Nguyen The Bao told Tuoi Tre.

Nine suspects are in Vietnamese custody, according to Humane World for Animals, an NGO that lobbies to end the pet meat trade.

Read the full article at South China Morning Post →
Source document: Vietnamese Police

1 reports

South China Morning PostParty-alignedCenter3 days ago
Cats rescued from slaughter in Vietnam spotlight enduring pet meat trade

Vietnamese police rescued approximately 400 pet cats from a trafficking network involved in the pet meat trade. The cats were discovered during an operation targeting a criminal network that steals and transports pets for sale across provinces. Many cat owners gathered at a police station to check if their missing pets were among those recovered. While eating dog and cat meat is legal in Vietnam, it requires proper permits to ensure the animals were not stolen. Some rescued cats were in poor health and had recently given birth.

Bias read (Center): The article presents factual information about a law enforcement operation and the pet meat trade without overtly favoring any side. It includes details from official sources such as Vietnamese police and state-controlled media, while also mentioning the perspectives of vets, owners, and activists.

Official sources cited

  • government Vietnamese Police
  • government Tuoi Tre News Portal

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  • governmentVietnamese Police
  • governmentTuoi Tre News Portal