Over 1,000 Cats Saved from Slaughter in China
Posted by Emily on 27th Oct 2023
In China, police have liberated over 1,000 cats destined for slaughter and fraudulent sale as pork or mutton, as per reports by media affiliated with the state.
The force, responding to information provided by animal protection advocates, intercepted a lorry transporting the cats in Zhangjiagang, situated in the eastern part of the country. The rescued cats were relocated to a sanctuary, as documented in a report from The Paper.
This operation exposed a clandestine trade in feline meat, triggering new apprehensions regarding food security, according to the report. As detailed by activists, cat meat can command 4.5 yuan (£0.51; $0.61) per cat.
It remains undetermined whether the cats were domesticated pets or strays. They were en route to the southern regions of the nation, intended to be deceitfully sold as skewers of pork and lamb, as well as sausages.
The Paper recounted how campaigners in Zhangjiagang observed an unusually high concentration of cats confined within wooden crates, hammered shut, in a graveyard, prompting six days of surveillance. The advocates intervened on 12 October as the cats were being loaded onto a transport vehicle, leading them to halt the truck and alert the authorities.
The article in The Paper, released the previous Friday, provoked anger, amassing thousands of incensed comments on Weibo, China's prominent social media platform. Numerous users demanded more rigorous scrutiny within the food sector.
One aggrieved individual on Weibo declared, "May these people die a horrible death."
A different user questioned, "When will there be laws to protect animals? Don't the lives of cats and dogs matter?"
The incident has even influenced behavioural change, with one commentator noting, "I won't be eating barbeque meat outside any more."
Moreover, past incidents have amplified these recent concerns. For instance, pandemonium ensued this June at an educational institution in Jiangxi province following a disturbing discovery by a student of a rat's head in his food. Despite initial assertions by school officials that the item was duck meat, they eventually conceded that the student's claim was accurate.