More than one tonne of frozen cats was discovered on the premises of a Đồng Tháp business. — Photo nhandan.vn

More than one tonne of frozen cats and 190 live ones of unknown origin have been discovered during an inspection conducted by the Environment Police and Inspectors of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department of the southern province of Đồng Tháp.

The establishment's owner did not possess a certificate of eligibility for veterinary hygiene and cold storage at the time of inspection.

Upon questioning, the 39-year-old owner admitted collecting the cats from various provinces in the Cửu Long Delta region.

The live cats were intended to be transported to and sold in HCM City, while the frozen cats were intended for sale in the northern province for cooking bone extract paste.

In light of this discovery, the police seized the frozen cats and handed them over to the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department for destruction.

The establishment owner was directed to monitor the health of the 190 cats and subsequently contact the local veterinary agency for vaccination.

Another 190 cats without veterinary certificates were caged in the establishment. — Photo nhandan.vn

The business previously was fined to have four tonnes of frozen cats and 480 cats of unknown origin on its premise.

The owner was fined VNĐ10 million (US$422) for collecting and storing animals without certificates of veterinary medicine and for hygiene violations. — VNS