Vietnam police rescue hundreds of cats stolen for meat by crime ring | Vietnam
Vietnamese police rescued more than 400 cats during a raid on a cat meat crime ring in Ho Chi Minh City, according to animal welfare groups and local media reports.
More than 40 cats were reunited with their owners after several days of operation last week, but several dozen of those rescued died due to the harsh conditions they were found in, the groups said.
Karanvir Kukreja, who runs a campaign against dog and cat meat consumption for the international non-profit Humane World for Animals, said in a statement that the operation was “a sobering reminder of the massive scale of Vietnam’s cat meat trade.”
An investigation into a series of pet thefts in Ho Chi Minh City led police to track down a cat meat crime ring and detain nine people, local media reported.
Police said they found 45 cages containing about 400 live cats and four ice-filled foam containers containing about 80 dead cats. 21 cats were found alive in a separate place.
The incident, in which more than 500 cats were seized, was reported in local media as one of Vietnam’s biggest cat welfare cases in recent years.
Police said the suspects confessed to trapping and collecting cats in Ho Chi Minh City and the cities of Tay Ninh and An Giang in South Vietnam for the past three years.
Phuong Pham, director of Humane World for Animals in Vietnam, said: “The sad truth about this trade is that every month thousands of cats are stolen, traded and slaughtered for meat across the country. Fortunately, these survivors were spared.”
He said several of the rescued cats were pregnant, leading to the birth of kittens in police custody this week.
Chris Gindelhumer of Vietnam Cat Welfare, which helps care for the rescued animals, said he’s “seen quite a few tears over the last few days.”
“It’s really nice to see so many Vietnamese families come looking for their cats,” she said. “But it’s also very sad because many families were looking for their cats but couldn’t find them.”
Gindelhumer said many veterinarians and volunteers work day and night for the cats.
Consumption of dog and cat meat is legal in Vietnam. Sellers must have permits to verify the animals’ origins. But some cities, such as Hoi An in central Vietnam, are working with global animal welfare groups to curb the consumption of dog and cat meat in the city.
Not long after South Korea’s 2024 dog meat ban, Vietnamese officials said the government planned to rebuild parts of its legal system to better protect pets and their owners’ rights.
An Pham, a student and cat lover in Ho Chi Minh City, said: “This incident surprised many people and raised awareness in many people to stop consuming cat meat.”
