Horror vid from Vietnam wet market shows live frogs having legs cut off with scissors and roasted dogs lying on tables
SHOCKING animal abuse has been caught on camera a Vietnam wet markets as frogs have their legs cut off and skinned dogs lay on tables.
Live fish were also hit with knives in the clip while chickens and ducks were packed in cramped cages beside other decapitated ducks and some workers were seen without face masks, aprons or even plastic gloves.
It flies in the face of warnings that close proximity to animals and unsanitary conditions risk a pandemic outbreak similar to how coronavirus supposedly jumped from bats to humans at a Wuhan wet market.
The World Health Organisation has warned that conditions like these that risk human and animal life such are “unacceptable.”
They said: “It increases the risk of contamination of the meat with foodborne pathogens.”
One clip shows piles of frog intestines on the floor as a worker rips skin off a frogs legs before chucking it into a bloodied and dirty basket.
The scissors used to cut the frog are then placed into the pile of intestines before being picked up for re-use.
Another clip shows fish being decapitated on a blood-stained block used for other fish moments earlier while one worker is captured pinning down and decapitating a fish without wearing gloves, a face mask or an apron.
‘HORRENDOUS FOR ANIMALS’
The animal rights activists that took the footage told MailOnline: “The conditions and slaughter process, as well as being horrendous for the animals, pose a real risk for pathogen spread to workers.
“(They) are constantly exposed to potentially infected animals, and to customers on these busy markets.
“In these poorly regulated markets animals are usually slaughtered in the middle of market stands, often on the floor among cages filled with more animals – by using simple tools like scissors.”
Vietnam closed all schools and imposed a 14-day quarantine for travellers at the height of it pandemic but swift action meant it only suffered 335 cases with no recorded deaths.
Its government is considering a ban on wildlife trade but it is unclear whether this will cover only viral reservoir species such as bats and pangolins or be extended.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc tasked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to come up with a plan by April 1, but the proposal has been abandoned according to the nonprofit Mongabay.
China is the only country to have implemented a large-scale ban on its wildlife trade since the pandemic began while conservation organisations including PETA and Open Cages are calling to end all wet markets.
The WHO appeared to support the proposals but backed away on May 9.
Open Cages CEO Connor Jackson said: “When will we learn? The covid-19 outbreak has exposed how fragile, cruel and dangerous wet markets are.
“So we cannot leave animal well-being and the safety of humanity in the hands of ineffective regulations.
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“Ban these cruel live animal markets and the risk of another pandemic will be significantly reduced. We urge the Vietnamese authorities to close these facilities immediately.”
The video was filmed between February and March 2020, at the beginning of the outbreak, before it was released today.
Activists said the market has remained open but its location was not disclosed.