Lion, tiger, peacock and pangolin are now off the menu after Wuhan banned breeding, hunting and consumption of wild animals.
Beijing| The Chinese city of Wuhan, where novel coronavirus first emerged, has forbidden the eating of wild animals and Chinese farmers are being awarded cash to stop breeding exotic animals.
This is the first time Chinese authorities have pledged to buy out breeders in an attempt to restrict exotic animal breeding, animal rights activists say.
Both moves come amid mounting pressure for China to crack down on the illegal wildlife trade blamed by many for the pandemic that has killed over 320,000 people worldwide.
āOnline trading platforms, commercial markets, agricultural markets and restaurants, as well as transport and logistics companies shall not supply venues or services for wildlife consumption,ā the city government said on its website on Thursday.
The hunting of wild animals was also now banned, the notice said, except for the purposes of āscientific research, population regulation and monitoring of epidemic diseasesā.
The city also declared Wuhan “a wildlife sanctuary.”
China, however, implemented actions to forbid the trade and consumption of wild animals after the SARS outbreak, these failed to bring the trade to a halt.
Also Read: China Hid Coronavirus Severity To Hoard Supplies: Report
As Covid-19 has spread throughout the world, China has received harsh criticism of its initial management of the outbreak and appeals have been increasing for an independent investigation into the origin of the infection.
213 nations or areas, across the world, have been affected by the highly contagious virus.
Globally, the total number of COVID-19 cases topped 5,000,000 while the death toll crossed 326,000, as per the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.
The United States, the worst affected nation in the world, recorded over 1.5 Million cases of COVID-19, nearly one-third of the entire worldās caseload, as per Johns Hopkins University data.
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