Stowaway cat found in container that arrived from China at Chennai port

CHENNAI: A stowaway cat was found in a container of toys that arrived from China at Chennai Port, causing a stir among workers last Thursday. The golden-white cat looked a bit weak but was otherwise unharmed.
A sea voyage from China to Chennai takes 10 to 20 days. Could the cat have gone that long without food or water? Unlikely. So did it get in at a transhipment port in Southeast Asia?
Customs officials made the staff catch the cat and have isolated it."There was a message that was going around saying that a live animal was found inside a container a few days ago. There was a talk about the need to check it as it was in a container with Chinese goods," said an port employee. The novel coronavirus scare has led to a lot of secrecy.
Neither its health officer nor other Chennai Port officials would confirm the incident. An official at the animal quarantine unit at Pallikaranai said that they were yet to receive any animal from the port or its container freight stations. There are around 25container freight stations. An official of a container freight terminal said "We have not heard about the cat. But we have had snakes inside containers that brings food packets. These usually gets in while the container is being loaded at the port of origin."
Sources say that customs want the cat to be sent back. As per the rule, any alive animal that is imported legally or ilegally should be sent to the animal quarantine facility for three days observation before clearing it. The official at the quarantine facility also said that "We have not received the animal but will recommend it to be sent back."
Meanwhile, officials in the shipping industry said that in all probability the animal must have entered the container when it was opened at one of the ports. "Ships from China often drop off containters headed for Chennai at Singapore or Colombo from where they are moved to ships headed to India. But usually these containrs are not opened to load goods. If that is the case, it must have survived without food somehow as containers have a small air inlet for ventilation."
Sources said that since the outbreak of novel coronavirus in China, port authorities are strict in screening cargo arriving from China.