Police in China rescued about 1,000 cats from a truck headed to a slaughterhouse, dismantling part of an illicit trade that fraudulently sells cat meat as pork or lamb and raising new food safety concerns. The information was released by state media.
Acting on a tip from animal rights activists earlier this month, police officers in Zhangjiagang, in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu, intercepted a vehicle used to collect and transport captured cats, according to The Paper, an outlet Chinese state communications.
Without police intervention, the batch would likely be slaughtered and sent south to be served as pork and lamb skewers as well as sausages, the report said. Authorities also said that the criminals were expected to profit US$20,500 (approximately R$102,000) from the cargo.
Police and agricultural authorities sent the cats to a nearby shelter, The Paper said. The report did not mention whether any arrests were made or whether the cats were strays or pets.
A CNN contacted the Zhangjiagang police and the animal shelter, but had not heard back until this report was published.
The Paper further reported that animal rights activists noticed a large number of wooden boxes with many cats near a cemetery. They patrolled the streets for six days, and when the truck began transporting the cats to the slaughterhouse, they intervened and called the police, the report said.
Images published by The Paper showed cats rescued at the shelter resting in large cages.
An activist said that the illicit action can sell 1 kg of cat meat for around US$4 (almost R$20), pretending that it is mutton and pork. Each cat weighs approximately 1.2 kg to 2.2 kg after processing. “Some people will do anything because it’s profitable,” Gong Jian told The Paper.
Another activist, Han Jiali, said she participated in the truck stop. She told Chinese news that it was not the first time and that she had stopped similar illicit trades before in Guangdong, a province in southern China.
Calls for stronger protection
The report triggered a new wave of concern about animal rights and food safety on Chinese social media, with many calling for greater scrutiny from authorities.
The country has faced a long history of food and safety scandals in the past. A recent food scandal that went viral on the internet involved a mouse head found in a school meal at a college. Local authorities initially insisted it was a piece of duck neck, but provincial investigators were called in and found otherwise.
Although China has laws to regulate and protect livestock and endangered animals, there is no general law for cruelty to pets and stray dogs and cats.
Animal and environmental rights groups have long campaigned against the use of animal parts – including those of many endangered species – for traditional medicine.
There is also growing opposition to an annual dog meat festival in Yulin, in the western Guangxi autonomous region. “Animals have no rights, and there is no guarantee for food safety,” wrote one of the hundreds of users who weighed in on the latest debate. The topic was viewed 5 million times on Sunday alone.
Local authorities were criticized in 2021 for the deaths of several pets who died after their owners tested positive for Covid-19. One incident in particular involved a healthcare worker beating a corgi to death.
“I hope the country can create an animal protection law soon,” said another user, referring to the latest scandal.
See also – PT signs agreement with the Communist Party of China
Source: CNN Brasil
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