Each year in Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia, an estimated 10 million cats and dogs are killed for their meat — a practice that has serious implications for both animal welfare and human health, according to a shocking new report.
Animal welfare group Four Paws’ report highlights the significant threat of the dog and cat meat trade on the health of consumers, including an increased risk of spreading rabies and other zoonotic viruses, such as coronavirus, because the slaughtered animals are frequently bought and sold at unhygienic live animal markets.
This is in addition to the horrendous suffering these poor creatures are forced to endure. People who trade dogs and cats to meat markets often capture strays or steal pets from their guardians. Butchers then slaughter them by hanging, stabbing, drowning or burning them alive.
“The traders steal pets as well as stray animals and transport them all over the country – even across national borders,” explains Dr. Katherine Polak, veterinarian and head of Four Paws Stray Animal Care in Southeast Asia. “No one knows if the animals are infected with rabies or other diseases. The keeping and slaughtering of the dogs and cats, mostly in live animal markets or backyards, is not only extremely brutal, but also fails to meet minimum hygienic standards. This creates the perfect breeding ground for novel and deadly zoonotic viruses, such as the coronavirus.”
“Although most local people in Southeast Asia oppose dog and cat meat, the trade … has continued to serve as a niche business,” she adds. “The governments in Southeast Asia must act quickly to protect both animals and humans.”
The brutal slaughter of millions of cats and dogs for human consumption is horrific enough, and the added threat to human health provides even more reason to ban this inhumane industry.
Lady Freethinker’s petition to stop Vietnam’s horrific dog and cat meat trade has gathered over 27,240 signatures. If you haven’t signed yet, please add your name to help these innocent animals escape a terrible death.
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I do not feel any sympathy or shed any tears for the vile, depraved, sick, evil masses that abuse, torture, kill and eat dog/cat meat. They deserve to catch rabies and other diseases and suffer equally horrific deaths, just like the innocent, voiceless dogs and cats. Perhaps TOURISTS should boycott such gut-wrenchingly cruel and brutal countries, hit them in their pockets, stop giving them your money whilst they continue to blatantly murder these innocent animals. Shame on these countries, shame on their weak, corrupt governments and shame on the sadistic, barbaric masses that carry out these heinous atrocities day after day.
Il faut sauver ces pauvres animaux de la cruauté et de l’horreur ! Pays de la honte !
Il faut faire soigner et protéger chiens, chats et autres animaux de ces pays horribles, cruels et sans compassion ! Respect et protection de tous les animaux vivant dans ces monstrueux pays inhumains et monstrueux envers les animaux !
This horrific, brutal, unconscionable, cruel TRADE must STOP — FOREVER.
This are reasons that China has created this horrific virus. Who in the hell eats Cats, Dogs, Rats etc and does not get some kind of illness spread. They knew about this illness before hand. Please stop this violent act and stop killing these beautiful innocent animals. God help them and us.
I am not sorry for anyone who eats dog meat. They deserve what ever disease they get.
STOP EATING BATS, RODENTS DOGS CATS ETC… this is why the rest of the human world suffers for disgusting third world countries
We should stop visiting those countries who slaughter dogs and cats, for food. The only way we can wake up their government to prevent this heinous activity is to quit being tourist and spending money in their country. Remember when you visit those countries who slaughter dogs and cats you will be eating sick, infected dogs and cat meat in their restaurants and visiting their food stalls as you wander looking at their trinkets in the market.
We should stop visiting those countries who slaughter dogs and cats, for food. The only way we can wake up their government to prevent this heinous activity is to quit being tourist and spending money in their country. Remember when you visit those countries who slaughter dogs and cats you will be eating sick, infected dogs and cat meat in their restaurants and visiting their food stalls as you wander looking at their trinkets in the market.
Horrific cruelty, disgusting.
It won’t be a beautiful world until all those millions of monsters have been culled. Then you create a beautiful world for ALL animals. Animals are not meant to be murdered and the corpses, of whatever animal, are then eaten by the mindless “man”.
DOGS AND CATS ARE NOT MEANT TO BE EATEN. I WANT TO SAY HOW YOU PPL IN ASIA DESERVE WHAT YOUR GETTING BC OF HOW YOU HAVE TORTURED AND MURDERED DOGS AND CATS FOR YEARS BUT THAT IS WRONG. GOD MAY VERY WELL HAVE HIS HAND IN THIS WITH CHINA BC OF HOW HIS ANIMALS HAVE BEEN BEING DESTROYED FOR SO LONG. I THINK YOU AUB HUMAN PPL THERE IN ASIA ARE MEAN PPL FOR KILLING THESE ANIMALS. YOU HAVE DESEASED THEM YOURSELVES AND SELL THEM ALL OVER WITH DISEASE AND RABIES SO CANT YOU SEE THAT YOU ARE TH BLAME FOR THIS CORONA VIRUS YOU CREATED. STOP KILLING THESE DOGS AND CATS AND DO WHATS RIGHT. GET THEM TO VETS FOR MEDICAL CARE AND GET THRM HOMES. LEAVE THEM ALONE AND MAYBE YOU WILL MAKE IT THRU WHAT YOU STARTED. YOUR HATED ALL OVER THE WORLD FOR WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN DOING TO THEM FOR YEARS. STOP
This is God’s ultimate punishment towards Asians who are threatening of innocent animals that horrific ways that one wouldn’t believe there is 21 century already.
It was just a question of time when a God’s whip will come up and will show these people what is very wrong and what is already absolutely unacceptable in 21 century to be done towards animals!!!!
We need to care for animals as life is beautiful with them. See animals as if you are seeing yourself. Let compassion embrace planet earth. It will be truly a beautiful world
These pacific countries need to stop the horrible things they do to animals. Look at all the horrible diseases they are responsible for. Try growing fruits and vegetables!!!!
People who consume dog and cat meat do not value their own lives much less their children and that of the poor animals they annihilate. When will they get the truth about eating this fetid food through their thick skulls? Humans are definitely NOT the most intelligent species on this planet. They are the LEAST!
Really? This is NOT surprising to those living in civilized societies.
The statistic are alarming. A huge loss of life and uncaring people with no thought whatsoever other than to make money.
Slaughtering animals They should ban it and don’t allow it ever again.
Slaughtering animals They should ban it and don’t allow it ever again.
Asian that bring horrendous torture and death to animals are nothing less than trash. And now the trash bring their desease filth to many. countries
It is very irresponsible lady freethinker to associate the spread of coronavirus to humans via dogs and cats, with your clickbait title. There is enough hatred and irrational fear around this virus already don’t add to it. As for Vietnam or any country that continues to allow “food” to be acquired and stored in this manner they are disgusting are doing nothing for their people but encouraging violence and foolishness.
Lady freethinker has done nothing wrong but report on the horrendous conditions of these dogs and cats for the sick meat meat trade in these oriental countries. Besides it being evil and Neanderthal-like behavior, the animals are not cared for and just like in any crowded puppy mill or kennel, diseases develop. Those who take these animals have no clue if they have rabies or any other underlying illnesses. The video in a Wuhan market showed exactly how they live; filthy and unsanitary. They eat anything the crawls or walks on four legs. I’m not saying all are like that, but a greater amount are. So, Lady freethinker keep up the good work of getting out the information to those who are truly concerned for these poor animals.
While veganism is the answer to this and many environmental problems, the idea that corona virus is or can be spread by animals has cause thousands of pets in China to be brutally murdered.
The current corona virus is NOT transmissible to our pets, nor can we get any animal specific corona virus.
Please read this article from the University of California, Davis for correct and current information.
https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/news/can-pets-contract-coronavirus-humans-or-vice-versa
Time everyone turned vegan, we do not need meat and these poor dogs/cats are pets, not for food. They should be prosecuted for this idiotic trade and punished if they continue as they are threatening the lives of people all over the world with this virus.
The fact that monsters die or get sick from eating abused cats and dogs that die a terrible death doesn’t interest me at all. Let the coronavirus do its job in all those stupid countries! I hate that kind, it’s garbage.
It’s not the animals that caused that disease! Some dummy made it in a lab!
even if they stop eating them they are going to continue killing them, blaming the virus on them. but at any rate I’m glad that eating them has come back to bite those idiots on the ass!
If this is backed by science, and is true, then good. Hope it wipes out all the individuals who consume dog, cat, and any other living creature! May these innocent animals get the chance they deserve to live their lives without being consumed by sick bstrds!
On a ce que l’on mérite!!! coronavirus, vache folle…
Live meat markets are a breeding ground for diseases. This us not tbe first disease to cvome out of China in the last 20 years. SARS and Swine Flu come to mind. It is not necessarily the animals themselves that are the problem but the unhygenic conditions of the market.
Good news for our beloved companions!!! I hope they carry more deadfull deseases!!!
Hopefully disease will stop these cruel, sadistic countries from torturing helpless dogs and cats!!!!
There has been NO link between coronovirus and dogs and cats. I don’t want to see them in the food trade either but it is inflammatory titles, unbacked by science, that is instigating panicked killing of household pets here in China. Please be more responsible! Live animal markets need to be shut down, and vegan alternatives which have already made extraordinary headway should be promoted as alternatives.
There has been NO link between coronovirus and dogs and cats. I don’t want to see them in the food trade either but it is inflammatory titles, unbacked by science, that is instigating panicked killing of household pets here in China. Please be more responsible! Live animal markets need to be shut down, and vegan alternatives which have already made extraordinary headway should be promoted as alternatives.
The Chinese people need to be educated about the risk of contracting these diseases ONLY IF they eat cats and dogs. People are slaughtering healthy pets because of this misinformation!
Perhaps this will now come as a warning towards ALL Asian countries that abuse, torture, kill and eat dogs and cats. It seems as though the whole of Asia is inhabited by depraved, sadistic, brain-dead masses that think torturing dogs and cats before killing them makes the meat tastier and cures all their ailments. Well it certainly hasn’t worked for rabies and now the coronavirus. No doubt the fact that they also use other animal body parts for medicine and they kill and eat anything that can walk, fly, crawl or swim must surely make these vile masses are suffering from Karma payback.
They need stop eat dogs and cats will make sick later sad and I know people steal dogs and cats give to china or other place kills pets sad and keep yur dogs and cat in house safe pray for pets need help safe them wow not good dogs and cats are not meat silly They should use seeds foods and something use not kills pets
This cuts both ways. Any motivation to shut down the meat trade is good however there are reports of people in China killing their pets because local authorities have claimed they can spread coronavirus which hasn’t been proven so it may be better to stress the rabies and general zoonotic risks instead.
All of Asia is guilty. This part of the world is jammed packed full of heartless wackos.
when will you people stop the insane and totally cruel and insensitive treatment of dogs and cats
time to go to plant based foods like we are doing here…
Grusomt!!!