Coronavirus: Chinese city to ban eating of felines

China (7th Mar, 2020): Chinese city of Shenzhen aims to ban the eating of casts and dogs amid Coronavirus outbreak.

According to reports of Baaghi TV, the Chinese city of Shenzhen has introduced a ban on the trade and eating of cats and dogs in order to contain the spread of Coronavirus, COVID-19. Reportedly, the Chinese authorities aim to curb the outbreak by regulating the ban as part of a “nationwide drive” to halt the consumption of wild animals.

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The new regulations which have reportedly been published on Tuesday by the standing committee of the Shenzhen People’s Congress, which is the city legislature. According to reports, the public will have to submit their opinions pertaining to the newly passed regulations on Thursday.

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According to reports, the draft forwarded by the authorities has restricted the public’s choice of edible meat to the following nine types:

Pork
Beef
Chicken
Rabbits
Fish and other seafood

Moreover, they have excluded the following from acceptable for human consumption in the aftermath of the Coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China.

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Cats
Dogs
Snakes
Turtles
Frogs
Bats and other wild animals

However, the government has still not confirmed an official date for when it will hold a voting for the recently announced regulatory measures. In addition to this, the authorities have reportedly informed the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily that they has not officially published a “black list” considering China plays host to thousands of wild animals species. They have argued that to restrict all species would have been an impossible and exhaustive task.

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Consequently, the positive move by Shenzhen authorities has also been followed by a resolution from the standing committee of the National People’s Congress which aims to ban the trading and consumption of wild animals as the practice is being linked with the COVID-19 outbreak and China’s reputation is being globally criticized for the unconventional practice.

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According to reports, since its initial spread in late 2019, the virus has infected approximately 80,000 people worldwide with the death toll of affected persons reaching almost 2,700 people. Moreover, as per reports, the Shenzhen authorities have vowed to fine people up to almost 20,000 yuan [approximately 2,885.17 US dollars] if they are found guilty. Reportedly, the authorities state that animals who have not been farmed will also be banned since there is no way to tell whether meat had been farmed or poached prior to cooking.

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However, wild animals will continue to be a part of scientific and/or medical purposes. According to reports, the Chinese inclination towards consumption of wild animals has always been controversial as it was linked to the previous outbreak of SARS [severe acute respiratory syndrome] almost seventeen years ago, respectively. As per provided statistics, SARS claimed the lives of almost 800 people who had eaten civet cats, commonly found in Southern China.

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An environmental lawyer, Liu Jinmei, has stated that Shenzhen authorities should be applauded for their efforts. She believes that the recent regulations have put a “greater liability” on restaurants and the public, who will be held accountable for the violation of the progressive move.

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[bs-quote quote=”We should applaud Shenzhen for (protecting pets), there should have been a regulation banning eating companion animals a long time ago.” style=”style-8″ align=”center” color=”#dd0000″ author_name=”Liu Jinmei” author_job=”Environmental lawyer with the NGO, Friends of Nature.”][/bs-quote]

Although, China had reportedly put in place laws for the protection of its wildlife since 1989, the trade had not been halted as trading and breeding for commercial purposes was still permitted despite the protection laws.