BLACK cats are being killed and eaten in Vietnam after fakes news spread claiming grounding up their bodies could cure coronavirus.

The No To Dog Meat charity said the cats are being boiled, skinned, cooked and then turned into a paste in order to be ingested.

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Disturbing images show the liquid aftermath of killing the cats packaged in containers to be sold.

One image shows a baby reportedly being fed the concoction.

The charity says the practice is centred around the capital Hanoi, but it is also being sold online.

In a graphic video obtained by the charity,a live cat in a bag being placed in a cooking pot, and boiling water being poured over it.

In another gruesome clip, rows of dead cats are seen drying in the sun after being slaughtered.

The cat-based "cure" is made by grinding up the cooked animals into a paste, which is then taken by those suffering from coronavirus as well as those trying not to catch it.

Julia de Cadenet, who founded the charity that campaigns the end the dog and cat meat trade, said the footage made her blood run cold.

She said: "People all over the world are understandably terrified of COVID-19, but this does not excuse the horrific cruelty that Vietnamese people are inflicting on these poor cats.

"There is no evidence whatsoever that eating cats cures coronavirus, and even if there was, this inhumane treatment is a level of cruelty that is unacceptable even for those who eat meat.

"In China when the virus first broke rumours flew around that pets could spread the disease, this led to many people and the authorities rounding up animals and killing them.

"Our human fears about this pandemic should not be used as an excuse to treat defenceless animals who look to us for protection, with utter contempt."

NO EVIDENCE

The horrifying images and footage come after an investigation found the coronavirus crisis has sparked a surge of sales of dog and cat meat through food delivery apps in Vietnam and Cambodia.

Despite other countries looking to reduce the sale and consumption of live animals, doctors in the region are encouraging many to eat dog and cat meat, claiming its properties help fight off viruses.

The shocking investigation, carried out by the animal charity FOUR PAWS, revealed that not only have sales risen, sellers have adapted to the market by offering the meat on food delivery apps as a takeaway option.

The horrendous trade came to light over fears that the coronavirus pandemic was sparked by a live exotic animal market in the city of Wuhan, China, back in January.

Doctors are also said to be promoting the consumption of dog meat because it is perceived to be ‘natural, without chemicals, and safe to eat’.

One seller in Cambodia said that those in her community believe that, ‘dog meat is good for health and helps ward off cold or viral illness, like COVID-19’, however the meat is often linked to outbreaks of cholera, and cases of trichinella and rabies.

There is no evidence to back up these bizarre claims.

Julia has warned both the UK Government and the UN many times that unsanitary meat production, such as the dog and cat meat trade could cause a global health crisis.

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She said: "They recognise that live slaughter of animals in markets is particularly unsanitary and that human consumption of wildlife and endangered species must end.

"China recently banned eating wildlife and formally recognised dogs and cats as pets, not food but more needs to be done throughout Asia.

"In Vietnam and Indonesia, the practice of eating dogs and cats and exotic wildlife is still highly prevalent. Traders have been promoting ' exotic' meats as a cure to coronavirus."

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