In India, black cats are associated with bad luck. However, it's bad luck to be a black cat in Vietnam where they are killed, turned into a paste which is then sold as a medicine for the coronavirus. According to reports, the barbaric practice is mostly followed in Hanoi province where black cats are boiled, skinned, and turned into a paste that people in the Asian country consume to protect themselves from coronavirus infection. The so-called remedy for coronavirus is also being sold online in the country.
However, there is no evidence that eating black cat paste cures coronavirus and several rights groups have raised their concern and demanded the cruelty on the poor cats must be stopped. Animal rights activists have raised the issue but the barbaric practice continues to be followed in Vietnam.
"People all over the world are understandably terrified of COVID-19, but this does not excuse the horrific cruelty that Vietnamese people are inflicting on these poor cats..There is no evidence whatsoever that eating cats cures coronavirus, and even if there was, this inhumane treatment is a level of cruelty that is unacceptable even for those who eat meat," the New York Post quoted charity founder Julia de Cadenet as saying.
Humans fears not an excuse to cruelty against animals
She said that when the coronavirus first broke in China, people inflicted cruelty on animals over rumours that pets could also spread the infection. However, she said, this can't become an excuse for humans to kill poor defenseless animals.
"Our human fears about this pandemic should not be used as an excuse to treat defenseless animals who look to us for protection, with utter contempt, she added.
A few Asian countries, including China and Vietnam, follow the practice of eating dogs and cats and traders in these countries have been promoting meats of these animals as a cure to coronavirus, which has killed nearly two lakh people and infected more than 25 lakh across the world. As of now, there is no cure or established treatment for the virus but several countries are working on a vaccine. The coronavirus pandemic is still in its early stage in Vietnam and the country has only 270 cases so far.
