Five kittens illegally transported to Austria were seized in Vienna-Favoriten on Thursday. The kittens, prematurely separated from their mother, will spend the next several months in isolation in a federal quarantine facility until they have had all of their vaccinations and blood tests. The dealers and carriers are displayed. A tip had put the detectives on the trail.
The official act on the holiday was preceded by another bad cat fate: a woman had bought an animal on the Internet six months ago, the kitten was then so sick that it had to be cared for in intensive care and barely survived. The injured buyer gave the tip that another transport was expected, which police stopped around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Transport boxes completely soiled
Officials stopped a van with a Romanian license plate in Raxstrasse. In the hold, hidden under boxes, they discovered two small, completely contaminated shipping containers – and inside three Scottish Fold and two British Shorthair kittens, each just eight weeks old. They had been brought to Vienna from the Ukraine via Romania. “These are purebred cats that should be distributed throughout Europe, not animals from refugees,” reports Susanne Drechsler, official veterinarian of the city of Vienna.
The driver of the van, a 30-year-old Romanian, was reported several times.
Too young, including tormenting breeds
“The kittens were too young to be separated from their mothers, were not microchipped, and lacked all necessary health certificates and vaccinations,” Drechsler continues. In addition, the Scottish Fold is a torture breed. Animals of this breed “suffer from a genetic defect that causes very painful joint damage that cannot be cured,” the vet warned.
Councilor for Animal Welfare Jürgen Czernohorszky (SPÖ) appealed to the population: “Don’t buy animals on the internet like a pair of shoes. Adopt your new family member from a shelter or buy from a reputable breeder.”
Source: Krone
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