Shenzhen Bans Consumption Of Cats, Dogs, Snakes, Turtles And Frogs In An Attempt To Stop Spread Of Coronavirus  

Shenzhen is set to become the first city in mainland China to ban the eating of cats and dogs with city authorities introducing a draft regulation as part of a nationwide crackdown on the consumption of wild animals following the Covid-19 outbreak, South China Morning post reported.

The proposed regulations were released for public consultation by the standing committee of the Shenzhen People’s Congress, the city legislature, on Feb 25 . The public will have until Feb 5 to submit their opinions.

Shenzhen, an emerging technology powerhouse, is located close to Hong Kong. China is envisioning a “Greater Bay Area” that will emerge as a technology-led economic hub comprising Hong Kong, Macau and nine mainland cities including Shenzhen with the eventual objective of challenging California’s Silicon Valley, currently the undisputed hub of technology innovation and disruption.

Under the new set of regulations, a “white list” of permitted meats included pork, beef, chicken, rabbit, fish and seafood has been proposed. The list excludes cats, dogs and other popular options such as snake, turtles and frogs.

The authorities stated that it was near impossible to publish a “black list” given the sheer volume of wild species in China, believed to be in the tens of thousands.

The trading and consumption of wild animals is widely believed to among the cause of COVID-19 coronavirus, that originated in a food market in Wuhan last December where a wide range of animals were on offer including salamanders, live wolf cubs, crocodiles, civet cats, bats, snakes, and koalas.

The step by Shenzhen comes closely on the heels of a resolution passed by the standing committee of the National People’s Congress to ban the trading and consumption of wild animals.

Under the proposed new rules, Shenzhen authorities said that those who breach the regulations will be fined up to 20,000 yuan (over US$2,800).

Tianjin, a port city near Beijing, also passed a new regulation outlawing the capture, trading, farming, transport and consumption of wild animals.