Chinese activists rescue 2,800 cats from sale to restaurants

(Beth Clifton collage)

Wuhan rescue overcrowds shelters but activists pledge to find homes for all

WUHAN, China––Animal advocates in the city of Wuhan, Hubei province, China, on January 15, 2014 rescued 2,800 cats from a truck that was hauling them to restaurants in Nanning. The truck driver was reportedly detained by police for interrogation about how he obtained a fake quarantine license for the cats.

Wuhan animal rescuers lacked shelter space to house all of the cats, but pledged to find accommodations for them somehow.

After a similar rescue in October 29, 2013 near Wuxi in Jiangsu province, the local agricultural commission released about 1,000 cats into the mountainous countryside. Wuxi City Association for the Protection of Small Animals president Ni Zhijiang told Associated Press that volunteers caught about 50 of the cats during the next several days.