Conservationists and animal welfare campaigners have been celebrating the ban, which will see the prevention of hunting, trading and consumption of all captive-bred or caught wild animals, where the end purpose is to eat them.
It is believed that the origin of the corona virus pandemic was through the transfer of a zoonotic disease (one that is carried by animals) to humans at a Chinese market in the city of Wuhan, where live animals were slaughtered and sold for consumption. This is known as a ‘wet market’.
It is hoped the ban will not only keep the human population safe from similar disasters, but only assist the illegal trade of wildlife which is impacted the numbers of endangered species across the globe.
Whilst measures are temporary in some regions of China, it is hoped that the initial ban has set an important precedent for the conservation and welfare of animals across the globe whilst tackling the spread of potential diseases similar to COVID-19.
