Hangzhou seized thousands of unlicensed cat trucks: illegal transportation interception cases surge after the implementation of the new regulations
Recently, the Hangzhou Municipal Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau and the Public Security Department seized a truck illegally transporting live cats at the intersection. The car was loaded with nearly a thousand cats, but there was no quarantine certificate or legal transportation procedures. This is the largest case of illegal transportation of live animals cracked in Zhejiang Province since the implementation of the new Animal Epidemic Prevention Law on June 1, 2024.
1. Case background and data statistics
According to public data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the number of cases of illegal transportation of living animals across the country has increased significantly after the implementation of the new regulations. The following are case comparison data from key areas across the country in the past 10 days:
| area | Number of cases seized (from) | Number of animals involved (only) | Year-on-year increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zhejiang Province | 17 | 2,843 | 320% |
| Guangdong Province | twenty three | 4,125 | 280% |
| Sichuan Province | 9 | 1,562 | 190% |
2. Interpretation of the core content of the new regulations
The main revisions of the 2024 edition of the Animal Epidemic Prevention Law include:
1. When transporting live animals, you must hold an electronic quarantine certificate, and the paper certificate is invalid;
2. The number of transported per batch shall not exceed 200 (except for special purposes);
3. Transport vehicles must be equipped with GPS positioning and temperature and humidity monitoring equipment;
4. The maximum fine for illegal transportation is 10 times the amount of goods.
III. Industrial chain survey
Case handlers revealed that the main sources of cats seized this time are:
| Source channel | Percentage | Average purchase price (yuan/only) |
|---|---|---|
| Stray Cat Catch | 45% | 15-30 |
| Pet shop recycling | 30% | 50-80 |
| Rural free-range households | 25% | 20-40 |
These cats may end up in:
• Underground meat processing plants in Guangdong, Guangxi and other places (accounting for about 60%)
• Illegal pet breeding farms (25% of the proportion)
• Experimental animal supply channels (15%)
4. Difficulties and responses to law enforcement
Wang Jianjun, director of the Hangzhou Animal Health Supervision Institute, said: "Illegal elements often use disguised transportation and segmented transportation to evade inspections. The vehicles seized this time are disguised as cold chain logistics vehicles, and there is actually no temperature control equipment in the compartment."
The current response measures include:
1. Add infrared thermal imager to key highway intersections;
2. Establish a cross-provincial collaborative investigation mechanism;
3. Open a 24-hour reporting line;
4. Implement data monitoring on the logistics platform.
5. Expert advice
Professor Li from the School of Veterinary Medicine of China Agricultural University pointed out: "It is recommended to establish a nationwide unified animal identity identification system as soon as possible, and at the same time strengthen supervision of the terminal market. Although the penalties are currently large, the cost of violations is still lower than the profit margin."
Data released by the animal protection organization "It Fund" shows:
| years | Illegal transportation reports | Actual investigation and punishment rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1,287 times | 32% |
| 2023 | 2,045 times | 41% |
| 2024 (first half of the year) | 1,863 times | 58% |
The incident has attracted widespread attention from the society, and the topic #Illegal Transportation of Thousand Cats# has been read on Weibo 230 million times. Hangzhou citizens spontaneously organized a volunteer team to assist relevant departments in carrying out animal resettlement work. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs stated that it will carry out a three-month special rectification campaign to focus on cracking down on illegal cross-provincial transportation.
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