China bans wild animal trade until viral outbreak eases

A filepic of a policeman watching over a civet cat captured in the wild by a farmer in Wuhan, in central China's Hubei province. The animal-borne SARS virus 17 years ago was supposed to be a wake-up call about consuming wildlife as food, but scientists on Sunday (Jan 26) say China's latest epidemic indicates that the practice remains widespread and a growing risk to human health. - AFP

BEIJING: China on Sunday (Jan 26) ordered a temporary ban on the trade in wild animals as the country struggles to contain a deadly virus believed to have been spawned in a market that sold wild animals as food.

Raising, transporting or selling all wild animal species is forbidden "from the date of the announcement until the national epidemic situation is over", said a government directive.