Dog and Cat Meal Sales Increase After Doctors in Southeast Asia Falsely Claim It Can Ward Off Coronavirus

As cases of the coronavirus continue to rise across the world, dog and cat meat sales have also risen. An investigation by the animal charity FOUR PAWS found that doctors in Vietnam and Cambodia are claiming the meat can help ward of coronavirus.

Other countries have recently put laws into place to reduce the consumption of dog and cat, sales, including delivery on food apps, of dog and cat meat, has risen.

FOUR PAWS veterinarian Kathrine Polak told the Sun, “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.”

In Cambodia capital Phnom Penh, there are 110 restaurants that sell dog meat. Many restaurants have transformed into “to-go” services because of lockdown restrictions. Doctors are promoting dog meat to eat because it’s assumed to be “natural, without chemicals, and safe to eat.” A seller told the Sun that many patrons believe dog meat is good for you and can help keep viral illnesses or colds away. Instead, dog meat is actually linked to cholera, trichinella and rabies.

Check out more on the dog and cat meat trade, check out these articles:

• Stop Consumption of Dog and Cat Meat!
• Online Retailer Bans Cat and Dog Meat Sales
• 8 Million Chinese Citizens Speak Out Against Dog and Cat Meat

Sign this petition to stop telling people that cat and dog meat are cures for coronavirus!

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