In October 2021, a Legal Daily investigation republished by Xinhua exposed a hidden trade in videos of cats and dogs being abused and killed. The same month, The Paper reported on a university student using the online name Ronin who made and sold animal-abuse videos. This archive records a chain of cruelty that turned animal suffering into paid content, group access and online profit.

From harm to trade

The Legal Daily report described livestreamed abuse in which viewers could pay to request methods of harm. It also described sellers, middlemen and groups that packaged and sold animal-abuse videos.

The Paper’s video report focused on Ronin, a university student accused of making and selling such videos. The public reports point to the same core fact: animal suffering was being converted into content for sale.

Group access and proof of cruelty

The investigation said some groups required new members to prove they knew the rules or had taken part in similar acts. This so-called proof of entry turned cruelty into a membership test.

Such rules show that the harm was not only impulsive. It was organized, traded and consumed.

Why this is recorded

Many victims in these cases have no names. They may be stray cats, animals obtained through false adoption, or animals taken temporarily by abusers.

This archive does not reproduce violent footage. It preserves the public record that animal-abuse videos were made, sold, bundled and consumed through private groups and paid requests.

Legal gaps and platform responsibility

Experts interviewed by Legal Daily noted the lack of direct legal regulation for many forms of abuse against non-wild animals. The report also warned that violent content can encourage imitation, especially among minors.

When cruelty becomes a product, it encourages more watching, paying, customizing and copying. That mechanism must be named and remembered.

Timeline

• October 2021：Legal Daily investigated the trade in animal-abuse videos; Xinhua republished the report.
• October 2021：The Paper reported on Ronin and the sale of animal-abuse videos.
• November 2021：Sina and other platforms republished or preserved the public report.

Sources

• 新华网转发法治日报：《虐杀小动物“血色交易链”：进群需递“投名状”》
• 澎湃新闻视频：《大学生制作贩卖虐杀动物视频，称脚踩时动物发出的叫声“更刺激”》
• 新浪财经转载澎湃新闻：《大学生制作贩卖虐杀动物视频》