Hell on Earth: Animals Are Dying in Pain at Bangkok’s Chatuchak Market
Bangkok’s notorious Chatuchak Market is hell on Earth for the thousands of animals. They are caged in filth and sold off like trinkets to anyone with cash to burn. Last year, a destructive blaze tore through the market, burning more than 1,000 animals to death in their cages. Nearly a year on, market is back to business as usual. Watch this new PETA Asia footage to see what it means for meerkats, bearded dragons and other animals:
In response, PETA Asia sent a letter to Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, urging him to shut this cesspool of cruelty and criminal activity down.
Animals Are Dying Slowly and in Pain
Chatuchak Market is packing scores of suffering wild animals into cramped and even dangerous enclosures, denying ailing animals treatment, and leaving them to die slowly and in pain.
PETA Asia’s investigator documented animals confined at the market suffering from severe, untreated illnesses – and found one bearded dragon dead in their enclosure.
Several animals showed signs of psychological distress, including a meerkat who clawed frantically at the bars of their cage.
Sugar gliders were found packed into crowded enclosures strewn with debris, while a fennec fox languished on the wire floor of a barren cage that was caked with grime.
Wildlife Trafficking and Health Hazard
Chatuchak Market has become infamous around the world for its cruelty to animals and reported ties to illegal wildlife trafficking – highlighted by the interception of a smuggled baby gorilla en route to Thailand earlier this year, which authorities said was traced to a shop at the market.
The market also poses a grave public health threat, as confining stressed animals amid their own waste creates breeding grounds for deadly influenza viruses and other zoonotic diseases that can spread to humans.
Never Buy Animals
An appetite for “exotic pets” fuels this suffering. Animals are not toys. Never buy any animal from a market or pet store anywhere in the world. When you buy animals, you are encouraging the sellers to continue this cruel trade and paying for this cycle of abuse to repeat. Learn more about the deadly “exotic” animal trade and tell your friends the cruelty behind it:
