Chinese police reportedly rescued a thousand cats on their way to a slaughterhouse that was likely planning to illegally resell the meat as pork or mutton, raising fears about food safety in the country, according to local state-affiliated media.
“Some people will do whatever it takes because it’s profitable,” Gong Jian, an activist building a sanctuary for stray cats, told state media outlet The Paper, CNN reported on Tuesday.
As many as 1,000 cats were reportedly rescued by Chinese police authorities on their way to a slaughterhouse and taken to an animal shelter after activist groups reported the presence of numerous boarded-up boxes containing several cats in east China’s Jiangsu province, American media reported.
According to The Paper, he then made his way to a slaughterhouse that planned to resell the cat meat like pork or sheep meat. This conspiracy could have netted them the equivalent of more than $28,000 Canadian, state media continued.
However, the latter did not provide any information as to whether any arrests had been made in the case.
But according to activist Han Jiali, who was reportedly involved in the intervention, similar illegal practices had previously been foiled in Guangdong, a province in southern China, she told state media.
The news had the effect of heightening pre-existing fears about food safety and animal rights in the country, while many people reportedly reiterated the importance of greater control by authorities.
Recently, the country reopened the debate over food standards after local authorities attempted to cover up the presence of a rat head found in a school lunch at a university by claiming it was a piece of duck neck, according to CNN.
Although China has laws protecting endangered livestock and animals, there is no general law on cruelty to pets or stray animals, according to American media.