The Hubei province of Central China has imposed a complete ban on eating wild animals and wildlife items to protect the lives and health of people.
On Thursday, the provincial legislature passed a decision on the ban which immediately took effect.
Included in the ban are all terrestrial wild animals, including captive bred ones, and rare and endangered marine species under key protection, as well as others prohibited by legislation and regulations.
No organizations or individuals that produce or process food produced from such wild animals and products. Furthermore, hunting, breeding, selling, transporting or taking wild animals for food or feeding purposes is also forbidden, the regulation said.
Non-edible use of wild animals relating to scientific research, medicine or show must be carried out in compliance with related laws and strict protocols must be followed.
Any misconduct will be subject to administrative punishment, while those who constitute a crime must assume criminal responsibility according to the law.
The decision was taken in the midst of a novel coronavirus outbreak, the enigmatic virus that originated in a veterinary market in Hubei’s Wuhan City and has since spread to over 90 countries around the world, killing more than 3,400 people and infecting more than 100,000 people, mainly in China.
