GPS leads to raid of Chinese cat and dog meat factory.
A Shanghai volunteer discovered the stray cat she had been feeding was missing one day and decided to track him down with the aid of GPS. The hunt led to the discovery of hundreds of dogs and cats, kept in a poultry market located in Jiangmen, Guangdong province. The cats were crammed inside cages, with some of them still sporting their cat collars. Very quickly, over 20 activists gathered at the market on following day to investigate the situation further, followed by deployment of government officials later that day to conduct a raid.
Subsequently, 235 cats were seized, and at least 215 of them are found to be sick and have since been placed in quarantine. The authorities have been working with volunteers to place the cats with professional organisations in order for the animals to receive better care. There are currently no updates on the dogs. However, investigations are underway to determine if the animals were kept for the purpose of slaughter, as local citizens strongly suspect that this was no doubt a black market operation.
Miss Ye, a Shanghai local whose cat recently went missing chanced upon this piece of news and it occurred to her that her beloved pet could have been possibly kidnapped and taken to Guangdong. Deciding to take matters into her own hands, Miss Ye travelled to Guangdong to look for her cat. Although she could not find her cat, she managed to rescue four other cats needing homes amidst her tireless search.
Despite Shenzhen's ban on the sale and consumption of dog & cat introduced in early 2020, many cities and provinces have still yet to follow in the southern city's footsteps. The current Chinese law aims at the legality of sales of dog and cat meat instead of the humane, ethical side of it. Needless to say, China falls far behind in terms of animal protection and rights and drastic steps are needed to turn that around.
Courtesy of Amelia Wang