Thousands of cats get smuggled from China into Vietnam to feed the country’s illegal cat meat trade. Authorities ignore pleas from animal rights groups and widespread calls for the cats’ lives to be spared. Still, the innocent felines are buried alive.

Three tons of cats crammed into bamboo crates were found in a truck impounded in Hanoi, and were buried by the police as per the Vietnamese law on smuggled goods. Smuggled animals, including chickens, are disposed of in the same manner in Vietnam.

“The cats were from China, with no official origin papers and no quarantine. Several of them had died, there was a terrible smell that could affect the environment and carried risks of future diseases. Therefore, we culled them by burying them,” a police officer from the Dong Da district environmental police said.

Prof Dang Huy Huynh, chair of Vietnam’s Zoology Association, said the cull was necessary to prevent the spread of disease and deter future smuggling. “The best way to cull the illegally imported animals is burning them. But this might cost more, so authorities may choose to bury them alive, still complying with procedures in accordance with laws,” he said.

The Asian Canine Protection Alliance made their displeasure clear in a statement:

“We have heard conflicting and equally inhumane stories as to how they may have been destroyed. Our request for any visual evidence of their fate has been denied. We must now assume they have all been killed, most likely in an inhumane fashion.

“The police officer who apprehended the truck deserves great credit. Beyond that the system has horrifically failed these animals – from border to burial. The trafficking and sale of these animals must be stopped as does the selling of cat for meat and the practice of inhumane killing of trafficked animals”.

Cat meat is a delicacy in Vietnam, and though the country has banned cats’ consumption, there are dozens of specialist restaurants serving cat in Hanoi. Most pet-owners keep the cats indoors as they fear that the felines may be stolen if allowed to roam freely in the streets. This wide gap between demand and supply has resulted in smuggling of animals from across the border – from China, Thailand and Laos. A petition on change.org urges Vietnamese authorities “to change their animal handling policies”. Sign the petition here.

Source:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/thousands-of-seized-cats-feared-buried-alive-in-vietnam/ar-AA8XOgZ