China begins banning the consumption of dog meat following the Coronavirus outbreak

Following the growing number of coronavirus infections, a Chinese city wants to introduce a ban on the trade and consumption of dog meat

He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

Following the spread of Coronavirus infections, Shenzhen, a metropolis south-east of China, is discussing a law to prohibit the consumption of dog meat, in order to improve food safety.

The bill comes after the ban on the marketing and consumption of wild animal meat, a practice believed to be responsible for the coronavirus epidemic.

Although it is clear, as confirmed by the WHO, that dogs and cats cannot transmit covid-19 to humans, the growing number of infections has helped to turn the spotlight on this type of trade. In addition to causing immense cruelty to pets, the consumption of dog meat poses a risk to human health due to other communicable diseases, such as rabies.

The new legislation extends the ban on the consumption of snake, frog and turtle meat, reducing the number of species suitable for human consumption to nine.
The list includes pigs, cows, sheep, donkeys, rabbits, chickens, pigeons, ducks and geese, as well as weights and aquatic animals.
A sort of "white list" which, according to the authorities, should help people know what's possible to eat and what not, in the face of the many animal species present in nature.

Officials described the new legislation as a "universal civilization requirement for a modern society".

In China, the consumption of bushmeat is widespread, as is that of cat and dog meat. During the well-known gastronomic event Yulin Dog Meat Festival alone, thousands of dogs are killed, skinned and cooked every year.

Animal rights activists have been asking the Chinese government for years to ban the consumption of dog meat and, if the proposal is approved, Shenzen would become the first city in the country to enforce a similar ban.

Being a metropolis of nearly 13 million inhabitants, the eventual approval it could lead other cities to do the same.

Sources of reference: Daily Express / Daily Mail

Read also:

• • Coronavirus: at the origin of the epidemic the consumption of pangolin, a species at serious risk of extinction
  • Coronavirus psychosis: dogs and cats thrown out of windows or abandoned in China for fake news
  • Hundreds of cats have been saved from the meat trade in China