Peru's Cat Eating Festival Under Fire
- 12 years ago
Peru's traditional cat eating festival has drawn controversy.
The Gastronomic Festival of the Cat held every September in Peru is under scrutiny by animal rights activists. The festival commemorates the history of slaves in the area who, it is said, survived only by eating the meat of cats. Every year, cat meat is served at the festival in a variety of dishes like cat burgers, grilled or fried cat or in spicy cat stew. In Peru cat meat is thought to be an aphrodisiac and a cure for bronchial disease.
Stray cats over run a park in Miraflores, Peru after they were introduced to the area in the 1990s as a control measure for the rat population. Now the strays are vast in number and are fed and protected by volunteers. Some residents see them as a problem, but activists are trying to protect the cat’s rights as living things. The majority of Peruvians think that cats are pets, but the festival continues to draw tourists and curious diners from all over.
Do you think that the festival should be allowed to serve cat meat?
The Gastronomic Festival of the Cat held every September in Peru is under scrutiny by animal rights activists. The festival commemorates the history of slaves in the area who, it is said, survived only by eating the meat of cats. Every year, cat meat is served at the festival in a variety of dishes like cat burgers, grilled or fried cat or in spicy cat stew. In Peru cat meat is thought to be an aphrodisiac and a cure for bronchial disease.
Stray cats over run a park in Miraflores, Peru after they were introduced to the area in the 1990s as a control measure for the rat population. Now the strays are vast in number and are fed and protected by volunteers. Some residents see them as a problem, but activists are trying to protect the cat’s rights as living things. The majority of Peruvians think that cats are pets, but the festival continues to draw tourists and curious diners from all over.
Do you think that the festival should be allowed to serve cat meat?