China bans trade, consumption of wild animals due to coronavirus

[snoop1130]

China bans trade, consumption of wild animals due to coronavirus

 

FILE PHOTO: Butchered dogs are displayed for sale at a stall inside a meat market during the local dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China June 21, 2018. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo

 

HONG KONG (Reuters) - China’s top legislature said it will immediately ban the trade and consumption of wild animals, in a fast-track decision it says will allow the country to win the battle against the coronavirus outbreak.

 

The announcement, made late on Monday according to the official Xinhua News Agency, comes after an initial suspension of the trade and consumption of wildlife in January.

 

Scientists suspect, but have not proven, that the new coronavirus passed to humans from animals. The disease has now killed almost 2,700 people in China and spread to countries around the globe.

 

Some of the earliest infections were found in people who had exposure to a wildlife market in Hubei’s provincial capital Wuhan, where bats, snakes, civets and other animals were sold.

 

“There has been a growing concern among people over the consumption of wild animals and the hidden dangers it brings to public health security since the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak,” said Zhang Tiewei, a spokesman for the top legislature’s Legislative Affairs Commission.

 

Zhang said it was both urgent and necessary for the decision to be made at the “critical moment for the epidemic prevention and control”.

 

The decision, made by the National People’s Congress, stipulates the illegal consumption and trade of wildlife will be “severely punished” as will be hunting, trading or transporting wild animals for the purpose of consumption.

 

The use of wild animals for non-edible purposes, including scientific research, medical use and display, will be subject to strict examination, approval and quarantine inspection.

 

Prior to the announcement, traders legally selling donkey, dog, deer, crocodile and other meat told Reuters they planned to get back to business as soon as the markets reopen.

 

Many academics, environmentalists and residents in China have joined international conservation groups in calling for a permanent ban. Online debate within China has also heavily favoured a permanent ban.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-02-25

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

[Sheryl]

About time.

[ukrules]

It's a little late for that.

 

Didn't they do the same after the SARS outbreak?

[4MyEgo]

Me wonders why 

 

[nobodysfriend]

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

China’s top legislature said it will immediately ban the trade and consumption of wild animals

 

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

he decision, made by the National People’s Congress, stipulates the illegal consumption and trade of wildlife will be “severely punished” as will be hunting, trading or transporting wild animals for the purpose of consumption.

That , finally , is something POSITIVE about the virus spread .

It all originated from people catching and later butchering wild animals in front of their customers .

In this world , everything is connected . There is a price that needs to be paid for the destruction of the ecological environment by humans .

The world itself is a living being that once had a balanced ecosystem , until man came and disturbed that balance .

Man will need to pay the price for that , and it is not only money that will be paid , it is lives .

For Nature , creating some deadly virus to get rid of the human threat , is a very clean way to eliminate the source of all that trouble .

What needs to change is the mindset of people who have no respect for the environment that created them after all  ...

[rudi49jr]

14 hours ago, Sheryl said:

About time.

Never going to happen. First of all, the Chinese will eat anything that lives and moves, and they will eat just about every part of it. They have done so for thousands of years and I don't see them stop doing that any time soon. Secondly, Chinese medicine also uses bits and pieces of almost every animal, and has been doing that for thousands of years as well. Even less chance of that going to stop any time soon.

[JonnyF]

China's treatment of animals is a disgrace. I don't expect them to learn anything from this.

[Tayaout]

It was already illegal. It's the same with prostitution in Thailand.

 

By the way my wife told me that she once ate bat soup in a Chinese restaurant in Bangkok. 

Edited February 26, 2020 by Tayaout

[Stargeezr]

China will only stop eating wild animals when a third of the population dies off, as I doubt

anybody will change their ways and habits until they see a significant level of deaths.

SARS, was a classic example of a lack of change. This Corona virus will will not

affect a change unless a lot more people in China and around tbe world die.

Just my opinion.

Geezer

[Cake Monster]

2 hours ago, rudi49jr said:

Never going to happen. First of all, the Chinese will eat anything that lives and moves, and they will eat just about every part of it. They have done so for thousands of years and I don't see them stop doing that any time soon. Secondly, Chinese medicine also uses bits and pieces of almost every animal, and has been doing that for thousands of years as well. Even less chance of that going to stop any time soon.

A lot of Thais will also eat anything that crawls, slithers, fly,s, walks or is in egg form.

Rats a delicacy.

[Tayaout]

28 minutes ago, Cake Monster said:

A lot of Thais will also eat anything that crawls, slithers, fly,s, walks or is in egg form.

Rats a delicacy.

My brother in law stopped doing chicken meat/eggs and expanded his rat production since he get a better price. ????

[spiekerjozef]

Chihuahuas taste a lot better.

 

[Moonlover]

17 hours ago, ukrules said:

It's a little late for that.

 

Didn't they do the same after the SARS outbreak?

I've read in a number of reports that the suspected market in Wuhan was illegal anyway. China seems to have the 'Thailand disease' of having the laws, but no enforcement.

[rech]

Please not before it kills them all !

 

 

[placnx]

4 hours ago, rudi49jr said:

Never going to happen. First of all, the Chinese will eat anything that lives and moves, and they will eat just about every part of it. They have done so for thousands of years and I don't see them stop doing that any time soon. Secondly, Chinese medicine also uses bits and pieces of almost every animal, and has been doing that for thousands of years as well. Even less chance of that going to stop any time soon.

True. The only way is through education from kindergarten! Millennia of evasion of draconian laws means that more laws won't make any difference. Education is not easy since the schools in western China outside of major cities are primitive, so it's difficult for reason to have any impact on primeval beliefs in such schools.