VietNamNet Bridge - Nearly three tons of cats smuggled from China have been culled as they had not been quarantined and had a high risk of spreading disease, said the Hanoi Environment Police Agency.

The cats were seized by Hanoi police on January 27. The animals were illegally traded from China to Vietnam, via the border in Mong Cai, Quang Ninh province.

Colonel Doan Xuan Hung, captain of the environmental police team of Dong Da District, Hanoi said the authorities hired a company to cull the cats and the task had been completed.

Lieutenant Colonel Hung stressed that the destruction is required because as prescribed by the Government, the animals of unknown origin and not quarantined must be culled to prevent the spread of disease to local livestock, affecting the environment.

He added that when the animals were seized, over half of them were already dead and the remaining cats were nearly dead.

Lieutenant Colonel Hung added that the owner of the cats, a man from Quang Ninh, was fined. If they had been wild cats, the man would have been prosecuted for wildlife trade.

Thu Ly