China bans selling and eating wild animals to curb coronavirus spread

Wildlife is being taken off the menu in China as the country bans both the selling and consumption of animals including badgers, deer and peacocks in an attempt to curtail the spread of the coronavirus.

According to The Independent, the ban is a turning point in the cultural attitudes towards regulating the wildlife meat industry and was approved by the Chinese parliament.

The order resulted in the closure of open-air markets selling wildlife, but the restriction does not extend to animals bred for consumption in captivity.

The virus is said to have been transmitted by wild animals to humans through a market in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, and reinforces a re-evaluation of how wild animals are slaughtered and traded, particularly in China.