Last week, authorities in Hanoi intercepted thousands of live cats (three tons) that were illegally smuggled in from China for human consumption.
While it is illegal to consume cats in Vietnam, the underground cat meat trade is big business. Every week, thousands of cats are smuggled into the country for human consumption. Regulations mandate that all smuggled goods confiscated by authorities must be destroyed. However, animal protection organizations were urging Hanoi officials to turn the cats over to them instead.
Unfortunately, this heartfelt plea fell on deaf ears. On February 2, 2015, police forces announced that all cats have been buried. It is unknown whether the cats were killed before being buried or not. Hunter Shaffer, Chief Investigative Officer with the Global Conservation Group says they are disappointed with the actions of the Vietnam government.
Because authorities do not have the resources to humanely euthanize all the cats, Shaffer says police likely buried the cats alive. The group also wrote an open letter to the Vietnam Ambassador in the United States condemning their actions.
In the year 2015, this type of animal abuse on such a large scale is simply unacceptable. Please sign and share this important petition urging authorities to change their animal handling policies to prevent another tragedy from occurring again.
Vietnam U.S. Embassy:
Phone Number:(202) 861-0737
Email Address: info@vietnamembassy.us
vnconsular@vietnamembassy.us
Update #29 years ago
Thank you everyone who has signed this petition so far. Please keep signing and sharing. We cannot let the death of these innocent souls be in vain. We must keep sharing this so everybody knows what is happening in Vietnam and China, and how inhumane their treatment is to animals.
Update #19 years ago
Hanoi officials have now announced that the cats were crushed to death before burrial. The 3 tonnes of cats, still in their bamboo cages, were crushed with a truck. The officials claimed they did this to stop the spread of disease.
