The Chinese city of Shenzhen has banned the eating of dogs and cats after the emergence of the new coronavirus. Scientists suspect the coronavirus passed to humans from animals. Some of the earliest infections were found in people who had exposure to a wildlife market in the central city of Wuhan, where bats, snakes, civets and other animals were sold. In all likelihood the ban will come into effect from May 1st. Dogs, in particular, are eaten in several parts of Asia.
"Dogs and cats as pets have established a much closer relationship with humans than all other animals, and banning the consumption of dogs and cats and other pets is a common practice in developed countries and in Hong Kong and Taiwan," the city government said in an order posted on Wednesday. Liu Jianping, an official with the Shenzhen Center for Disease Prevention and Control, said that the poultry, livestock and seafood available to consumers were sufficient."There is no evidence showing that wildlife is more nutritious than poultry and livestock," Liu was quoted as saying by the state-owned media Shenzhen Daily.
“Shenzhen is the first city in the world to take the lessons learned from this pandemic seriously and make the changes needed to avoid another pandemic,” said Teresa M. Telecky, the vice president of the wildlife department for Humane Society International. “Shenzhen’s bold steps to stop this trade and wildlife consumption is a model for governments around the world to emulate.”