Coronavirus Pandemic Urges China to Put a Stop to Eating, Trading Wildlife

Forty years after China became a part of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the country has made so much efforts to ensure 85 percent of key safeguarded wildlife are under good protection, the State Forestry and Grassland Administration (SFGA) said Thursday, promising to eliminate outmoded habits of feeding on wild animals as well as prohibit their illegal trade.

(Photo : Getty Images)

Unlawful Trading of Wild Animals 

On Thursday, the administration hosted a ceremony to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the entry of China into CITES. Ninety percent of land and floral ecosystems, and also 85 percent of key safeguarded animals are under effective protection, a document issued by SFGA said, taking note that the amount of endangered spices, like crested ibis and the giant panda, is increasing.

The administration revealed that such an accomplishment is a result of the arduous endeavor of China to safeguard endangered species of wild flora and fauna. For instance, the country has boosted strict measures to stop the smuggling and unlawful trading of wild animals and took the enormous step of prohibiting the ivory trade inside the country in 2018.

Also Read: Coronavirus and Its Effect to Animals' "Landscape of Fear"

Artificial Breeding Farms 

The SFGA said the next level is to eliminate the outdated habit of feeding on wild animals, prohibit the unlawful trade of wild plants and animals, as well as increase habitats protection of those groups. 

After the COVID-19 outbreak, the SFGA in last year January took what is known as "the most stringent measures" in the regulation of wild animals, which include prohibiting all types of wild animal trade, and a total prohibition on the transfer of wild animals through artificial breeding farms to discontinue possible coronavirus transmission as soon as possible.

Yet the pandemic has uncovered the safety hazard in feeding on wild animals, and has made many health experts call for legislation in opposition to such behavior.

(Photo : Getty Images)

Prohibition of the Wildlife Trade 

A year on, when the world is looking for an answer to the origins of the coronavirus, some foreign media, both National Public Radio, cited the government of Chinese swift reply in prohibiting the wildlife trade and shutting down farms as indications that wildlife farms in southern China are the most possible source. 

The co-head of the WHO-China joint expert team's animals and environment group and a professor at Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Tong Yigang, said at a March Conference that the knowledge of the world about the virus was very little in the initial stages of the outbreak, making some researchers speculate it had some connection with wild animals. 

In order to contain the viral spread, China made use of so many positive measures both the closure of farmland, he said,  taking note that mounting proof has revealed that China's initial measures were confirmed effective in slowing viral transmission, he said. 

Related Article: Not Animals: Humans Are Probably the Carriers of COVID-19 Virus to Wuhan, Contrary to China's Claims

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