Officials in the Chinese city of Shenzhen have drafted a proposal to ban the consumption of dog and cat meat following the coronavirus outbreak. In what would be a landmark law for the country, the new legislation would also prohibit residents from eating turtle, snake and frog meat in a bid to increase food safety and contain the spread of the virus.
This law expands upon the animals included in a recent edict from the Chinese government, which has banned the sale and consumption of wild animals, including deer, peacocks, badgers, pangolin and Asian palm civets.
It is thought that the coronavirus originated in a wild animal meat market in Wuhan, where live animals are brutally butchered to order.
“Although the trade in Shenzhen is fairly small compared with the rest of the province, Shenzhen is still a huge city, bigger than Wuhan, so this would be very significant and could even have a domino effect with other cities following,” Peter Li, Humane Society International’s China Policy Specialist told the New York Times. “Already in Yulin where the notorious dog meat festival is held, most dog slaughter operations have temporarily shut down in the last two months because no dogs are allowed to be transported across provincial boundaries.”
“Although World Health Organization advice is clear that dogs and cats pose no known coronavirus threat whatsoever,” he added, “it’s no surprise that attention is turning to this trade at this time, because as well as causing immense cruelty to our companion animals, the dog meat trade undoubtedly poses a huge human health risk for other diseases such as rabies.”
A temporary ban isn’t enough, though. Conservationists believe the only way to prevent the spread of future virus epidemics is to indefinitely ban this unhealthy and dangerous industry. Add your voice to Lady Freethinker’s petition urging China to make this temporary ban permanent for the sake of humans and animals alike.
What’s New…
Dogs and cats are not food!!!’ll
L’homme pille la nature mais la nature finit par se venger!!!(GAO XINGJIAN)
I will be the first to say how much I hate snakes, but would never cause harm to a helpless creature. What a sick thing to teach children.
I will be the first to say how much I hate snakes, but would never cause harm to a helpless creature. What a sick thing to teach children.
Forby spising av hunde og katter
If this dream come to light for those poor creatures, it is for the scare of the virus. After all, the kind people of China are highly endangered to say the least. But it could be the beginning of a good shake up from a country that have stayed in the dark ages for so long.
There are a lot of places on this planet, where WildLife is being tortured and consumed. But China takes the cake. Oh people! Why can’t we understand that all life was created equal. Most animals are more intelligent than us the two-legged – do they randomly kill us or eat us, except when they feel threatened by us.
We humans have a lot to learn from animals.
Let’s please learn to treat them with kindness, whether they are domesticated or not!
Let’s keep our forests wild and beautiful with all the wildlife in it, rather than empty.
Oh, did I forget to mention, it is time to curb our own population explosion. It is time to realise tha each human born on the planet is a huge burden on the planet. Aren’t one or two kids enough?
GOOD am Hoping so,it’s so Deplorable to Eat An Animal Known as an Pet;Cat’s/Dog’s what they really are as well,besides Companion Animals……
So nice!!!
LONG OVERDUE!! STOP CONSUMING PETS….LOVE THEM INSTEAD!!
Hooray…this is, at least, a START in the on-going effort to prohibit, via the authorities, the availability of these products.
How many more petitions and petitioners will it take before the “market’ for companion/exotic animal product becomes a thing of the past?
I visited China as a tourist a number of years ago and FLATLY REFUSED to go to some places or purchase particular goods…… a small action but none-the-less a message. If we combine this type of action with that of the Government, we may get wider support.
For me, it doesn’t matter if this is a response to the caronavirus threat : anything that stops the vile trade and abuse of animals ( for any purpose) is good news.
These markets are cruel and inhumane and must be permanently shut down.
About time. Let’s hope they carry it through.
I will await this announcement with bated breath as the CHINESE masses are definitely not known for their compassion and humanity. The masses are well-know for their abuse, torture, killing and eating of ALL species including wildlife, dogs and cats and also the use of animal body parts to make fake, bogus medicines….perhaps now they will realise that THEY are threatening the whole world with their vile, disgusting, psychotic practises towards any species that walk, fly, swim or crawl and have actually enabled ‘killer viruses’ to spread and endanger everyone.
This is a good start but it must spread all over Asia. They have infected the whole world with there immoral and dirty practices. They must ban dog, cat and wildlife barbaric practices. For good. I personally have zero desire to visit any Asian country ever. Disgusting human beings and culture.
True. Agree.
About time they came on board with most of the world. Education is key to getting these folks to understand “NO eating dogs, cats etc is NOT good for you”