Chinese authorities get tough

Local delicacies: People enjoying a meal during a local festival in China. The NPC has adopted a draft to prohibit wildlife trade and consumption. — Reuters

LAST week, China’s top legislature – the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee – adopted a draft to prohibit the trade and consumption of wild animals and their products.

The decision has also called for severe punishments on those caught eating as well as hunting, trading, trafficking and transporting wild animals for consumption, reported state news agency Xinhua.