Tell Vietnam: Put An End The Brutal And Illegal Cat Meat Trade
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Sponsor: The Animal Rescue Site
It is illegal to consume cats in Vietnam, but even the officials supposed to enforce the law break it - and eat them "for luck."
Tell the current Vietnamese Ministers of Health, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Industry and Trade to put a real stop to the illegal cat meat trade. Eating a cat is cruel, will not bring you luck or make you more agile, and could seriously harm your health.
The dog meat trade has come under scrutiny in recent years, but cats who are similarly abused haven't gotten as much attention. In this brutal yet thriving trade, cats are crammed into wire cages and transported into Vietnam, where cat meat is popular. Though many are strays, a large number are also beloved pets who have been stolen, still wearing their collars.
From there, the cruelty only gets worse. Groups of cats are transported in sacks, and because "tough" meat is desirable, cats are terrified and tortured prior to inhumane butchering. Some restaurants cram living cats into cages, so that consumers can pick which one to eat. Then they are boiled alive in hot water. One cat butcher boasted of killing 31 cats in one day for his restaurant. This is barbaric cruelty toward intelligent, sensitive, and innocent pets. [1]
The meat is sold as an expensive "delicacy" labeled "little tiger." Locals eat cat meat at the beginning of the month and year for good luck, or believing that it will bring strength and agility. [1] But the unregulated meat can be deadly, exposing people who eat it to diseases including toxoplasmosis, E. coli, and rabies.
In 1998, a ban on consuming cats in Vietnam was established by the prime minister to protect cats to make sure the rats did not get out of control. But it was ignored. Today, cat meat is popular. Many of the avid consumers are the very officials who are supposed to be enforcing the ban. [2]
Sign now and demand this gruesome meat trade be ended for good. Like dogs, cats are meant to be our friends - not dinner.
[1] Mailonline, K. R. (2018, March 15). Bagged up and ready for the boil: Inside a sickening Vietnamese CAT meat market where helpless pets are skinned and butchered for £50 delicacy known as 'little tiger'. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5504559/Inside-sickening-Vietnamese-CAT-meat-market.html
[2] News, R. D. (2015, June 06). Cruel trade: the flourishing cat-meat restaurants of north Vietnam. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1815665/cruel-trade-flourishing-cat-meat-restaurants-north-vietnam
The Petition:
To Vietnam's current Ministers of Health, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Industry and Trade:
The ban established in 1998 to ban cat meat from consumption needs to be enforced. It is inhumane to torture cats, butcher them, and eat them for "good luck."
Anyone who sells cats for meat or cat meat itself, or who consumes it - including police who should be enforcing the ban - needs to be prosecuted. This insidious cat meat trade is brutal, cruel, and illegal. Cats are not listed as livestock by Vietnam, and should not be sold for meat. It is dangerous to turn a blind eye to an unregulated meat trade in which contaminants can include potentially deadly diseases like toxoplasmosis, E. coli, and rabies.
These cats are being tortured and butchered. Some may be strays, but many are stolen pets. Thailand has sensibly and humanely banned all dog and cat meat, and we hope you will do the same. It is best for both animals and the people.
Your swift action is appreciated!
Sincerely,
