World’s Most Expensive Coffee "Could Be the Next Source of Zoonotic Disease", Say Campaigners

The infamous ‘kopi luwak’ coffee - sourced from the excrement of shy, cat-like animals called civets - has long been condemned for animal cruelty. Now, advocates fear the trade also poses a “pandemic risk”.

A caged civet on a civet coffee farm. Credit: Amy Jones/Moving Animals

The world’s most expensive coffee has come under fire from animal welfare campaigners who say the trade is cruel and unethical, and, in light of COVID-19, a serious threat to human health too. 

Kopi luwak - or ‘cat poo coffee’ - is a ‘luxury’ product that is sourced from the excrement of shy, cat-like animals called Asian palm civets. Chewed, digested coffee beans are taken from the civet’s excrement, which is said to give the coffee its ‘unique’ taste. Prices for a single cup can vary from $35 to $100, with the trade particularly popular with international tourists in destinations such as Indonesia and Vietnam. 

Now, a video exposé by PETA Asia not only reveals once again the rampant animal abuse behind civet coffee, but also warns that the trade poses a ‘pandemic risk’. 

In new, undercover footage taken on civet coffee farms in Bali, Indonesia, civets can be seen confined to barren, filthy cages encrusted with feces, dirt, and decomposing berries. The shy, nocturnal animals are shown kept mostly in outdoor cages in the sunlight, with no dark, quiet spot to sleep in. Unable to cope with being kept in captivity, the civets are seen exhibiting abnormal behaviors such as biting their own tails, and repeatedly pacing back and forth, indicating severe psychological distress.