Secret wars: cat lovers vs. animal torture for profit
Secret wars: cat lovers vs. animal torture for profit
Every night after Chen comes home from work, he opens his laptop and switches to his secret life as an undercover activist. From his bedroom in East China, he spends hours to watch scenes that are too graphic for a horror film, and tries to make friendships with people who would see him in real life as his jury.
The fight against the cruel network
chen - a pseudonym to protect its true identity - belongs to a team of interneter investigators whose mission is to stop a shadowy global network that tortures and kill cats from greed for profit. An exclusive examination of CNN shows that these groups have increased in their size and popularity around the world last year and are now also active on mainstream platforms such as Telegram, X and YouTube.
a frightening phenomenon
Experts report that many of the cat torturers are based in China, where there are no laws against cruelty to animals. Protected by a culture of impunity, they create videos for consumers worldwide, also in the USA, Great Britain, Turkey and Japan. Jenny Edwards, a criminologist and specialist for sexual abuse of animals, comments: "It has become a rather international phenomenon. It happens much more often than people think."
insights into the dark subculture
In the context of a month -long examination, CNN infiltrated some of the encrypted chat groups in China that spread videos about cat torture. These groups show an insight into an underworld in which torture plays down and how it is celebrated in a video game. A culture of the competition has developed among the members to present the most imaginative abuse methods - while the perpetrators are stylized into “heroes”.The role of the activists
chen belongs to a group of activists who are known as "Feline Guardians". They hope that the attention that you draw on the problem will promote worldwide legislative measures, especially in China. "China is currently experiencing a wave of the cat abuse, in which students all take part," says Chen. Feline Guardians' data show an increase in the new torture videos by 500 % between June 2024 and February 2025, with a new video that is uploaded every 2.5 hours.
The market for animal torture
Some of these content are also available on mainstream websites. CNN found a YouTube account that had more than 800 videos with tortured cats. After a request from CNN, the YouTube channel was removed. "Advertisements are switched in the telegram groups in which cats are offered at a price of around $ 1,300 for tailor-made torture," says Lara, an activist of the Feline Guardians.
consequences for consumers and their behavior
Zhang, a Chinese consumer who regularly pays for such cruel content, admits that this gives him a sexual kick. He says: "These videos give me much more enjoyment than sex." Zhang reports on his experiences and the aftermath that torture content can have on him and other consumers.
the need for a determined procedure
researchers emphasize that consumers show psychopatic behaviors and have a tendency towards sexual sadism. Criminologist Jenny Edwards points out that one of the main causes for this fetish is sadism: "It is part of an antisocial, psychopatic behavior." Experts advocate that legislators take measures to prevent the spread of such content and to protect the rights of animals.
conclusion: the pursuit of change
The Feline Guardians activists are tirelessly committed to stopping these inhuman practices, even if this burdens their own mental health. She drives the need to end the suffering of the animals: "It is time that China is saying a law against cruelty to animals", as they at the same time point out that the social consequences for the entire community could expand.
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