Couple poison dozens of pet dogs and cats with cyanide to be sold as food in Vietnam
- Nguyen Van Phuong, 43, and girlfriend Hoang Thi Phuong, 35, arrested Sunday
- They were discovered attempting to steal 20 dog and 20 cat carcasses
- At their home police discovered a sophisticated butchering operation
- Both were charged with theft, there being no law against the butchering, selling or eating of dog and cat food in Vietnam
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A couple accused of poisoning dozens of pet dogs and cats with cyanide so that they could be butchered for meat have been arrested in Vietnam.
Nguyen Van Phuong, 43, and girlfriend Hoang Thi Phuong, 35, were arrested on Sunday after they were discovered collecting the animal carcasses in plastic bags.
Stunned residents had woken that morning to find their beloved dogs and cats scattered across the main street of the Nhu Xuan District of Thanh Hoa Province.
In the afternoon Nguyen and Hoang were seen on a motorbike trying to collect the 20 dogs and 10 cats before they were apprehended and later charged with ‘property theft.’
Nguyen Van Phuong, 43, (left) and girlfriend Hoang Thi Phuong, 35, (right) were arrested on Sunday after they were discovered collecting the animal carcasses in plastic bags
The poisoned carcasses of 20 dogs and 10 cats in Nhu Xuan District of Thanh Hoa Province on Sunday
Police discovered three kilos of dried fish and 100 grams of cyanide at the couple’s home, VN Express reported.
The couple are understood to have admitted to mixing the fish with the poison to kill the animals.
Their rented property was allegedly disguised as a dog restaurant but was actually used to butcher and store stolen meat in vast freezers.
Nguyen and Hoang are alleged to have employed staff to help slaughter the pets, freeze the meat and then ship to restaurants in Hanoi and beyond.
The pair reportedly confessed to catching dogs and cats in several communities, intending to transport them to another province to sell as meat.
Traditionally eaten with rice wine or beer, dog meat is considered a delicacy in parts of the country.
Cat – although less popular – also features on some menus, often dubbed ‘little tiger’.
But the animals are also lovingly raised as pets by many families.
Nguyen Van Phuong, 43, (left) and his girlfriend were charged with property theft – there being no law against selling, butchering or eating cats and dogs in Vietnam
International animal protection groups have continuously called on the Vietnamese government to ban the eating of dog and cat meat, but Hanoi has so far declined and the business remains lucrative.
According to Four Paws, an estimated 30 million dogs are killed for their meat every year in Asia, including Vietnam, China and Cambodia.
The number for cats is unknown but likely to be in the millions, the NGO said.
In 2018, Hanoi officials urged residents to ease off eating dog meat, saying the popular dish was tarnishing the city’s image and risks spreading rabies.
There are few dog and cat meat farms in Vietnam, and many of the animals are caught illegally.
Traditionally eaten with rice wine or beer, dog meat is considered a delicacy in parts of Vietnam (stock image)
The way in which they are killed is often cruel, activists say, and city officials have said previously they hope it could be gradually phased out.
But the theft of domestic cats and dogs continues, although authorities have made many arrests in recent years – including five people who were detained last month in Nghe An province.
There are no laws against killing, selling or eating cats and dogs in Vietnam.
Dog thieves provoke huge anger among the Vietnamese public, and have been beaten to death by villagers in the past.