Virus jolts China to curb animal trade before hosting UN summit
INTERNATIONAL – The deadly coronavirus that has infected more than 80,000 people in China could push the government to boost protection for animals and plants before it hosts the United Nations’ biennial conference on global biodiversity in October.
China is scheduled to hold the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in the southwest city of Kunming against a background of a global epidemic that probably originated from bats and was transmitted to humans via wild animals. The outbreak has sparked public criticism over loopholes in laws designed to preserve the nation’s wildlife, with environment groups, government institutions, university professors and even state media demanding tougher restrictions on the widespread trade in wild animals.
As the number of infections from the coronavirus exploded in January and February in the city of Wuhan, the outbreak was linked to a meat, fish and vegetable market in the city that sold everything from peacocks to hedgehogs. A third of the early Covid-19 cases were later found to have no traceable connection to the market, but scientists and officials believe the virus did jump to humans from animals, and the consumption of wild meat remains the No. 1 culprit for the public health crisis.
Source: iol.co.za
