AFP Photo: Cats are seen in cages for sale at a meat market
cat - 300 cats rescued by animal activists in Shanghai from a dealer who planned to sell the alleged theft of cat to restaurants in southern China. The activists, a tip-off of a cat lover, found 22 bamboo cages full of cats in a freight yard, where they would be sent to Guangdong province, Xiaoyu Lai, 34, who was part of Friday in the night of the rescue, told AFP.
Most of the cat were returned to their owners, but three cats died and some had broken legs, he said.
"They had been cat abused. It is squeezed into cages so small. Some of the cages, which contained more than 20 cats. Two of these cats have been killed by a time when we find them," he said.
"The cats were to be handed over to Guangdong Province to enter into a soup called" Tiger vs Dragon ", which is made with the snake and the cat," said Lai.
Restaurants pay about 50 yuan ($ 7.31), a cat, the Shanghai Daily reported.
More than 50 cat owners came looking for his lost cat on Friday night after the activists sent a message on an Internet forum, said Lai.
Some cats were adopted by animal lovers and others were released in areas where food for the volunteers leave strays, he said.
Police arrested the cat dealer, Yang Baoguo, having battled dozens of animal lovers who fell in the freight yard to break their cages, said the newspaper.
The dealer was released after several hours without charge, because the laws protecting the animals do not exist in China, the report said.
"There is no law in China, saying cats can not be eaten," police officer Ma Yong was quoted as saying. "The cats are not protected animals."
Yang, who negotiated for the cats in a decade, bought the animals from hunters called the cats trapped in residential areas at night, the report said.
Police could not charge him with possession of stolen property because, unlike dogs, a license is not required to own a cat in Shanghai, making it impossible to establish ownership, the report says.
Eating cat meat is a tradition in many parts of China, especially in southern regions, where several restaurants specialize in the preparation of dishes, according to Chinese media reports - cat
Most of the cat were returned to their owners, but three cats died and some had broken legs, he said.
"They had been cat abused. It is squeezed into cages so small. Some of the cages, which contained more than 20 cats. Two of these cats have been killed by a time when we find them," he said.
"The cats were to be handed over to Guangdong Province to enter into a soup called" Tiger vs Dragon ", which is made with the snake and the cat," said Lai.
Restaurants pay about 50 yuan ($ 7.31), a cat, the Shanghai Daily reported.
More than 50 cat owners came looking for his lost cat on Friday night after the activists sent a message on an Internet forum, said Lai.
Some cats were adopted by animal lovers and others were released in areas where food for the volunteers leave strays, he said.
Police arrested the cat dealer, Yang Baoguo, having battled dozens of animal lovers who fell in the freight yard to break their cages, said the newspaper.
The dealer was released after several hours without charge, because the laws protecting the animals do not exist in China, the report said.
"There is no law in China, saying cats can not be eaten," police officer Ma Yong was quoted as saying. "The cats are not protected animals."
Yang, who negotiated for the cats in a decade, bought the animals from hunters called the cats trapped in residential areas at night, the report said.
Police could not charge him with possession of stolen property because, unlike dogs, a license is not required to own a cat in Shanghai, making it impossible to establish ownership, the report says.
Eating cat meat is a tradition in many parts of China, especially in southern regions, where several restaurants specialize in the preparation of dishes, according to Chinese media reports - cat
