Cat burglar Nguyenn Hoang Chau reveals the homemade trap in which he captures animals every night in the initial step of their sickening journey to the table. Over the previous 8 months he has actually captured almost 1500 animals which he techniques into the cage with fresh fish and other treats – in spite of pleas to stop from his 2 horrified kids.
The 47-year-old becomes part of a network of incredibly burglars, slaughterhouses and dining establishments accountable for the massacre of a million cats a year in Vietnam. Yesterday, a probe revealed the horrendous cruelty caused on the animals to please a growing need for this so-called unique meat.
Most of the restaurant need remains in Hanoi where some dining establishments purchase them straight from burglars and massacre them on website as we revealed the other day in our examination from the capital. But to satisfy need cats are taken throughout the nation and sent to slaughterhouses to provide them.
I took a trip south to the province of Dong Thap, near Ho Chi Minh City, to test Nguyenn, who has actually accepted satisfy and protect his trade. He mixed annoyingly in his seat when I challenged him with photos revealing cats being damaged and skinned by a barbaric de-furring device.
But he was emotionless as I questioned him even more about the cruelty and informed him he gathers cats as if he was selecting veggies from the fields. Only when I pressed him on what his kids thought about it did I see a twinkle of mankind towards the animals he traps.
He said: “I’m sad for the cats and feel sorry for the pain they suffer, but I have to take them to support my family.“My children hate what I do and feel guilty. They’ve asked me to stop but I’ve told them I have no choice.”
Sitting on the trap with a cigarette hanging from his mouth, the previous labourer said he relied on cat theft when he was required to quit working this year after having an operation to eliminate kidney stones.
Catching 5 to 6 cats every night he has more than doubled his day-to-day earnings from 200,000 Vietnamese Dong (£6.46) as a labourer to about 500,000 (£16.20) now. He said he now generally takes them for the animal trade however confessed he might not make certain they were not winding up in the pot.
Cats frequently suffer injuries, lacerations, burst eyes and damaged bones throughout capture from the snares and tongs utilized. They are then provided in sacks to wholesalers who ram them into cages for days till they have enough to cover transportation expenses.
Local animal defense groups state they have actually seen cats delivering early while in these holding locations, an outcome of severe tension. Cats are transferred to slaughterhouses or dining establishments numerous miles away, suggesting they lack water, food or adequate ventilation for days, often weeks.
Some wholesalers utilize the baggage compartments on traveler buses, with approximately 200 cats loaded into cages. Many die of fatigue, heat stroke, dehydration or injuries en path.
In 2020, a couple implicated of poisoning lots of animal dogs and cats with cyanide so that they might be butchered were charged with theft. Many owners of lost cats make desperate searches at slaughterhouses and in dining establishments – leading to violent clashes with snatchers.
In the Hang Dong district of Hanoi, we experienced 2 snatchers outside a restaurant. One was dropping off a sack loaded with distressed cats battling to get away. Another had a number of the animals caged in a provider strapped to the back of his moped.
On the wall we saw 2 missing out on cat posters, advocating the return of animals that have actually been taken in the location. One checks out: “At about 5.30pm on October 27, my family lost our calico cat from our home. Its name is Nam, he is a local breed and very friendly to humans. Will pay a high price to get him back.”
Another pleads: “Lost on May 19, male cat with white fur and black spot in the head. Hope somebody has seen my baby. This cat is very important to my family.”
In March, authorities made a landmark raid on an industrial-scale cat slaughterhouse in the southern Vietnamese province of Dong Thap after a tip-off.
It had actually been processing 500 cats a night for the previous years utilizing harsh commercial equipment to cut their throats. Their bodies were then tossed into barrels of boiling water prior to their coats were eliminated with de-furring makers.
More than 5 lots of frozen cat meat was destroyed in front of the pleading owner, putting the unauthorised center out of business. The owner was fined 20million Vietnamese Dong (£646).
An overall of 197 cats were likewise rescued from the slaughterhouse by Soi-Dog – an animal well-being organisation which is defending an end to the dog and cat meat trade throughout Asia.
A spokesperson said: “Though extremely distressed at first, 90 per cent of the cats were friendly and affectionate, and many are already sterilised – a sign they were much-loved pets stolen to be sold into this barbaric trade.” But that slaughterhouse was just the pointer of the iceberg, as countless cats are butchered every day in Vietnam.
Bach Tuan Kiet, deputy head of the department of animal health in Dong Thap, said that despite the fact that need is much greater in the north of the nation as cats and dogs are not extensively consumed in the south. There are still about 60 dining establishments in the southern province.
But he was uninformed of the real scale of the issue, stating he did not understand the number of slaughterhouses functioned. He said prohibiting intake would help, however that prison sentences are required as the fines were insufficient of a deterrent.
Kiet included: “The main reason we don’t do more is because of the [lack of a] law. We don’t support these activities. We hate the cruelty.”
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