Cat-Meat Trade in Vietnam
In collaboration with:
Tracks Investigations carried out investigations into the cat meat trade in Vietnam Change For Animals Foundation and FOUR PAWS.
Vietnam’s cat meat trade is brutal. Every year, an estimated one million cats are captured and stolen from the streets and people’s homes, trafficked thousands of kilometers to holding areas, restaurants, and slaughterhouses. They are beaten and drowned, to be served as “Little Tiger” in restaurants nationwide.
Tracks conducted investigations for Change For Animals Foundation and FOUR PAWS throughout Vietnam to document and ultimately expose the scale and cruelty of this primarily hidden trade. What we found was shocking, and the looks of absolute terror of cats peering from cages as they sat and waited their turn to be slaughtered will haunt us forever.
Once a relatively small-scale and opportunistic trade localised in the North of the country, today’s cat meat trade consists of complex international and trans-provincial trading networks spanning distances of over 1,000 km, connecting holding areas to restaurants and slaughterhouses, and generating significant profits for those involved.
Our Findings
The investigation, detailing the workings of the trade, is believed to be the first of its kind, and the findings are shocking:
While often overshadowed by the dog meat trade in the media, the cat meat trade affects over one million animals each year. Black cats in particular are targeted for their purported medicinal value.
Cat meat consumption is increasing in popularity; sourcing sufficient cats to meet demand is getting more difficult.
To meet national demand, cats, many of which are owned, are stolen off the streets or from homes, and trafficked on long journeys, sometimes lasting for days without food or water. The conditions are barbaric, and many die whilst being trafficked from heat stroke, exhaustion, or injuries incurred during capture and holding.
Slaughter methods are brutal, and commonly involve drowning and bludgeoning. The suffering of the animals involved is immense.
To read the full investigation report published by Four Paws & Change For Animals Foundation - click here
Tracks Investigations has undertaken over 295 investigative film projects supporting over 40 conservation, environmental and animal protection NGOs since its inception in 2006. Learn more about how you can work with us here. To support our investigative work for animals, click here.