Savage cat meat trade: gang in China that lures felines with live sparrows in remote-controlled trap arrested, 150 animals rescued
- Police have reportedly pounced on a crime gang stealing pet cats and selling their meat for human consumption
- The thieves placed flapping and chirping sparrows inside a wire bag with a remote-controlled trap mechanism to lure and catch the cats
Police in eastern China have shut down a crime group using live sparrows to lure and trap cats for sale as meat for human consumption, an international animal welfare organisation has revealed.
Nearly 150 cats, crammed into 11 cages, and 31 sparrows used as bait were rescued from a location in Jinan, the capital of Shandong province, last Thursday by police acting on a tip-off from animal rights activists, according to Humane Society International (HSI).
The cats, which had mainly been people’s pets, are believed to have been caught by the thieves who placed flapping and chirping sparrows inside a wire bag with a remote controlled trap mechanism.
Police have detained several members of the gang and their investigation is ongoing.
Huang Ziyang from a local HSI-supported Chinese animal protection group called Vshine was at the scene after the police raid. He said most of the cats appeared well bred and are believed to be stolen pets. Already, two local Jinan residents have identified their stolen pets among the rescued cats.
“It was shocking to see the state they were in, many of them were emaciated and crying out,” said Huang.
“I saw one pet owner who came in to see if her cat was among them and she was drenched in tears. I felt sorry for her. It’s her family!” he added.
