Community in animal cruelty row

Who in the Czech Republic 20 years ago could have imagined eating kangaroo steak, going to a Chinese restaurant or seeing a gyros stand on every other street corner? The country’s culinary progress since the fall of communism, however, has developed a darker side, as ethnic eating habits fail to find acceptance with the rest of society.

On July 20, police discovered an illegal Vietnamese slaughterhouse in an old barn in Chvoječná near Cheb, west Bohemia. Workers from a local animal shelter alerted authorities after they began to suspect one of their clients of selling the dogs she took home to a Vientamese man. At the site, police found several freezers full of meat. “There was also a dog collar that belonged to one of the shelter dogs,” said police spokeswoman Martina Hrušková.

After a further search, a plastic bag containing the heads of a cow and a dog was discovered. “There were animal remains everywhere, and the barn stank of rotten meat,” Hrušková said. According to the police report, the woman toured animal shelters in the area and brought dogs home that she would sell for 400 Kč ($27) to a Vietnamese accomplice.

Source:
Community in animal cruelty row
The Prague Post