Regional News
90 Cats Rescued from Smuggling Near Thai Border
NAKHON PHANOM – Thai police say they have rescued about 90 famished cats that they believed had been headed to Vietnam. They declined to say what fate they had rescued the felines from, but cats are considered a delicacy in their intended destination.
Police Col. Sakchai Sadmaroeng said Thursday his men stopped a pickup truck at a checkpoint Thursday and found six plastic cages full of cats in northeastern Nakhon Phanom province. The driver was arrested and faces charges including animal cruelty and illegal transportation of animals.
The Thai driver told police he received 2,000 baht ($63) to drive the cats to the Mekhong River, near the Thai-Laotian border.
Cat meat is offered in many restaurants in Vietnam. Dogs also have been smuggled there from Thailand for their meat.
800 caged cats rescued successfully in Tianjin China
Earlier Last Year 800 cats were successfully rescued in Tianjin, China. Volunteers of Tianjin Stray Animal Rescue Group discovered a place where cat-nappers were keeping stolen cats waiting to be transported. Through social networking like Weibao, more volunteers were able to get to the location and the police were called to help rescue the cats.
The police came and found 40 cages, with over 20 cats in each cage. Some cats had already died due to the horrible conditions; some had given birth to babies, all of which had died. They were cramped inside small cages without any food and water. In the end, more than 50 cats had already passed away over the whole ordeal.
After negotiations between the police and local animal quarantine officers, all of the cats were released to the volunteers. They were moved with the volunteers to a shelter, where they were switched into more than 100 larger cages with water and food. The volunteers worked tirelessly over night and over the next few days.
