▲ Cats discovered by Ho Chi Minh City police during a raid on a criminal ring that stole, slaughtered, and distributed cats for human consumption.
Vietnamese police have dismantled a criminal organization that stole, slaughtered, and distributed cats on a large scale for human consumption, rescuing over 400 cats in the process.
According to local media reports including Tuoi Tre on June 18 (local time), Ho Chi Minh City police recently arrested nine members of the organization following an investigation into pet theft cases.
During the raid, authorities discovered 45 cages containing over 400 live cats, as well as four styrofoam containers filled with ice holding approximately 80 cat carcasses.
Police also located an additional 20 live cats at another site.
The suspects confessed to stealing or capturing cats across various parts of southern Vietnam, including Ho Chi Minh City and the provinces of Tay Ninh and An Giang, police reported.
The investigation revealed that they sold the slaughtered cat meat for approximately 70,000 dong (about 4,050 won) per kilogram.
Police set up a temporary shelter equipped with cooling fans to house the rescued cats, where veterinarians and volunteers are caring for them and working to reunite them with their owners.
Following the news of the rescue, several owners who had lost their cats visited the shelter and police stations, leading to emotional reunions with their pets.
Pham Dinh Tu (50), who found his cat at a Ho Chi Minh City police station a week after it went missing, told Tuoi Tre, "I came here just hoping for good luck, and I am so happy to have found my cat unexpectedly."
He added, "Many people treat cats as mere property, but I am deeply grateful for the sincere care and support the police have shown these animals."
However, it was reported that some of the cats discovered during the police raid had died due to the poor conditions in which they were kept.
Karanvir Kukreja, who leads the dog and cat meat consumption opposition campaign for the international animal welfare organization 'Humane World for Animals,' told the Associated Press that this crackdown is "a shocking incident that highlights the reality of the massive scale of the cat meat trade in Vietnam."
In Vietnam, it is legal to sell dog or cat meat if the seller possesses permits and hygiene licenses that can prove the source of the meat.
However, as there are no legal slaughterhouses for the large-scale processing of these animals, it is known that a significant portion of the meat circulating in the market is illicit and fails to meet these legal requirements.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.