Wuhan Officially Bans Eating Wild Animals As Coronavirus Crisis Prompts Crackdowns
As China eases out of its coronavirus crisis, it unveils one of its newest crackdowns in Wuhan; which officially bans residents from eating wild animals. In addition, Chinese farmers are now being paid cash to quit breeding exotic animals.
On Wednesday (May 20), officials announced the ban in the city of Wuhan, which holds about 11 million people and was the first to report an infection last fall. The crackdowns arrive after the mounting pressures for the nation to control the illegal wildlife trade, which many people say is to blame for the pandemic, which has killed more than 320,000 people.
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Additionally, the city also banned all hunting of wild animals within its limits, virtually declaring the region “a wildlife sanctuary,” with the only exception of government-sanctioned hunting for “scientific research, population regulation, monitoring of epidemic diseases and other special circumstances.”
Despite the crackdowns in the nation, and blame people place on the consumption of wild animals, the origins of the pandemic are still under investigation. However, the one of the suspected sources is the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, which includes a live animal section that sells over 30 species.
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