Masbate Zoo Closes Following Viral Video of Cat With Snake

(SPOT.ph) A private zoo in Masbate City has been permanently closed due to a lack of necessary permits, as found out after the establishment was investigated following a video of a cat allegedly being fed to a captive snake went viral. This was confirmed by the City Government of Masbate on June 19. 

The video in question was posted to TikTok on June 17. In the clip, a wet cat was seen beside a large snake in a small enclosure. The original uploader wrote in the caption: “Sakit sa puso, bakit pusa pina pakain dito. I saw this [in Mini Zoo] #catsoftiktok.” It has received almost four million views on the platform.

Some users in the comments section of that TikTok video claimed that feeding cats to the snake has long been a practice at the Masbate Mini Zoo. “Matagal na nilang gawain yan, sa mga bata po sila bumibili ng mga stray cats para ipakain sa python nila,” said one comment. In another, “Matagal na ganyan sistema nil amula nong gr 7 palang ako then now im in college na. Mabuti may nag lakas nag upload.”

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Investigation on Masbate Mini Zoo after the viral video of the cat inside a snake enclosure

“We stand together in expressing our collective shock and sorrow over this apparent act of animal cruelty,” Masbate government said in a statement. “It is important to reiterate that the City Government has no association with any local zoo in the city and strongly condemns all forms of animal cruelty.”

Dr. Celso Rosero Jr. of the City Veterinarian Office also conducted a detailed inspection of the Masbate Mini Zoo. He found “no cat inside the snake cage but found a dead chicken instead.”

The City Veterinarian Office and staff from the Business Permit Licensing Office met with the zoo's owner, Fructosa Perez, to discuss the findings. Perez denied the allegations, claiming that a visitor had placed the cat in the enclosure and filmed the incident for content.

Regardless of what happened, the authorities discovered that the Masbate Mini Zoo lacked the necessary permits to operate during their investigation, according to a report by GMA News. Although the zoo had applied for an amusement establishment permit in 2018, it was never approved.

"Sa pagsasaliksik din namin, na-found out din namin na wala din palang business permit and establishment or kinukonsider as a parang amusement park ‘yun," Dr. Rosero said. 

This is what ultimately led to the Masbate government to permanently close the zoo—a move commended by the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) for “quick action in the investigation of this crime.” The non-profit organization also called on for the person responsible for placing the cat in the enclosure to be held accountable under Republic Act No. 8485 or the Animal Welfare Act. 

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