Vietnamese police arrest 12 suspected of prowling city streets at night, snatching cats for meat
Vietnamese police have arrested 12 individuals involved in a criminal ring that stole and sold approximately 2,700 cats for meat in Ho Chi Minh City. The operation highlights the ongoing tension between traditional consumption practices and modern animal welfare advocacy.
Why it matters
The case reflects shifting cultural attitudes toward pet ownership and animal rights in Vietnam as the country urbanizes.
HANOI, Vietnam — Police in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City arrested 12 men suspected of operating a citywide ring that stole and resold about 2,700 cats for meat, Vietnamese state media said.
Police identified 39-year-old Luu Thanh Binh as the alleged leader of the network. He and 11 others were being investigated for theft, state media said Monday.
Investigators said Binh bought stolen cats, kept them at a facility in the city's north and resold them for meat. He worked with suppliers who recruited others to ride motorcycles through residential neighborhoods between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m., hunting for cats and trapping four to 10 cats each night.
Eating dog and cat meat is not unique to Vietnam and has been practiced in parts of Asia, though it is not common practice. In Vietnam, cat meat traditionally is more commonly consumed in the north, among older generations.
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