Sales of dog and cat meat surge on food apps in Vietnam and Cambodia after doctors claim it can ‘fight off coronavirus’ – The Sun

THE coronavirus crisis has led to a surge in the sale of dog and cat meat through food delivery apps in Vietnam and Cambodia, an investigation has found.

Despite other countries looking to reduce the sale and consumption of live animals, doctors in the region are encouraging many to eat dog and cat meat, claiming its properties help fight off viruses.

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The shocking investigation, carried out by the animal charity FOUR PAWS, revealed that not only have sales risen, sellers have adapted to the market by offering the meat on food delivery apps as a takeaway option.

The horrendous trade came to light over fears that the coronavirus pandemic was sparked by a live exotic animal market in the city of Wuhan, China, back in January.

FOUR PAWS  veterinarian, Kathrine Polak, said: "The unsanitary conditions associated with the cat and dog meat trade, coupled with the contamination risks of having so many different animal species caged and killed alongside one another, present the perfect breeding ground for new and deadly diseases, like COVID-19. 

"The rampant trade and live animal markets across Southeast Asia are ticking time bombs.

"If governments do not act now and shut down these cruel markets, the next global pandemic might originate in Vietnam, Cambodia or Indonesia."

DOG MEAT 'TO-GO'

Despite the global pandemic, the continued sale of dog and cat meat in the region has seen a transition from a cruel ‘dine-in’ to a ‘to-go’ service.

With 110 dog meat restaurants across Cambodia's capital of Phnom Penh, vendors are taking sales one step further by offering dog dishes on food delivery apps.

Vendors can also be seen wearing facemasks on the roadside as they hand out bags of dog meat for customers to eat or prepare at home.

In Vietnam, a similar trend has been observed particularly in the north of the country, where dog and cat meat consumption has a longstanding history.

Doctors are also said to be promoting the consumption of dog meat because it is perceived to be ‘natural, without chemicals, and safe to eat’.

One seller in Cambodia said that those in her community believe that, ‘dog meat is good for health and helps ward off cold or viral illness, like COVID-19’, however the meat is often linked to outbreaks of cholera, and cases of trichinella and rabies.

The meat can be a cheap alternative but Micheal Chour, founder of animal charity the Sound of Animals, says that the rise in dog and cat meat consumption is due to Chinese influence, with many restaurants only opening in the last two years.

He told the Sun Online: "People are still eating a lot of the meat in these areas because they believe it to be a cure.

"They was a big increase in the number of Chinese workers coming to the country and they have bought many of their practices along with them.

"Many of those, such as torture, have been introduced here and people believe that because China is a big and powerful country, that we should be listening to these practices.

"There is a very little warning from the government because wet markets are good business, they are still happening."

CITIES INTRODUCE BAN

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai have banned the eating of dogs and cats as part of a wider clampdown on the wildlife trade.

Yet in the absence of a national ban, other cities in mainland China are believed to be considering their own legislation to stop the consumption of dogs and cats.

China has also drawn up new guidelines to reclassify dogs as pets rather than livestock, as part of a response to the coronavirus outbreak.

The announcement by the Ministry of Agriculture was described as a potential "game changer" in animal welfare.

The new virus, which is believed to have originated from horseshoe bats, put a spotlight on China's wild animal trade.

COVID-19 – which was first identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan – could have been passed onto humans by intermediary species on sale at a wet market.

Those markets, where wild and often poached animals are packed together, have been described as a breeding ground for disease and an incubator for a multitude of viruses to evolve.

As it stands, Vietnam has 268 cases of coronavirus and no recorded deaths with Cambodia having 122 cases and no confirmed deaths.

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