Food Monitor Program denounces increase in meat sales

SAN LUIS POTOSÍ, Mexico.- The independent organization Food Monitor Program (FMP) reported that the sale of cat meat has increased in Cuba, due to the lack of other meat alternatives.

As explained in an article, until a few months ago cat meat was sold secretly for a very specific market, but recently advertisements began to appear on Guantánamo social networks, mainly in the different “Revolico Guantánamo” groups on Facebook.

“The sale of cat meat is very real and is present in this province,” the text said.

In this regard, they told the story of a young man identified as “Dairon”, who was dedicated to hunting and selling the feline for the black market. Although initially he did it to help feed the family, later, with requests from neighbors, he began to sell it in his community.

His case is just one “of the many merchants of this strange food in the province of Guantánamo.”

Theft and killing of cats

According to the text, a deep-rooted popular belief suggests that the soup from the animal’s head has healing powers: it combats neurological diseases and arthritis.

In Guantanamo – and perhaps in many provinces – the cat “has become an alternative to the lack of adequate food and medicine, which is transmitted from ancient to contemporary generations.”

He mode of operation of cat hunters is similar: they look for them nearby and it doesn’t matter if they have an owner or are strays.

“They steal the animal and the rest of the processes are not hygienic; much less human. In principle, it is about choosing the fattest ones, as sometimes they can be passed off as rabbit meat; However, they capture almost all that can be found,” the article stated.

Cat owners and other animal activists have warned about the theft of pets if they go outside. In vulnerable neighborhoods such as “Loma del Chivo”, “Bayamo” ​​or “Polvo en el Viento” cases are usually frequent.

A widespread problem

Allegations of the killing of domestic animals for edible purposes have been reported on social networks in several provinces, not only in Guantánamo.

In December, a case emerged online where a user publicly displayed a skinned cat in a pot, ready to be cooked.

Could it be that “creative resistance” that Díaz-Canel has alluded to in his well-worn speech to ask Cubans to survive the crisis?

The situation is reminiscent of the 90s, the one known as the Special Period in which they ate cat steak and an endless number of “recipes” that the people invented to survive the famine, and that today the Government evokes with its request for resistance to those who already They can’t resist anymore.

Although the Animal Welfare Decree-Law includes fines of between 1,500 pesos and 4,000 Cuban pesos for those who mistreat, start fights or cause the death of any animal, this type of situation continues to spread in Cuba.

The measure also establishes that these “should not be abandoned, nor subjected to mistreatment and degrading actions.” However, animal rights organizations and activists have denounced that the regulations are not fully complied with.

Follow our channel WhatsApp. Receive information from CubaNet on your cell phone through Telegram.