Covid19: Shenzen becomes the first Chinese city to ban dog and cat meat

It comes after the coronavirus outbreak was linked to wildlife meat, prompting Chinese authorities to ban the trade and consumption of wild animals. Shenzhen went a step further, extending the ban to dogs and cats. i.e. the consumption of animals raised as pets, such as cats and dogs will also be banned. 

The new law will come into force on 1 May. Thirty million dogs a year are killed across Asia for meat, says Humane Society International (HSI).

However, the practice of eating dog meat in China is not that common - the majority of Chinese people have never done so and say they don't want to.

"Dogs and cats as pets have established a much closer relationship with humans than all other animals, and banning the consumption of dogs and cats and other pets is a common practice in developed countries and in Hong Kong and Taiwan," the Shenzhen city government said, according to a Reuters report. "This ban also responds to the demand and spirit of human civilization."

"This really could be a watershed moment in efforts to end this brutal trade that kills an estimated 10 million dogs and 4 million cats in China every year," said Dr Peter Li, China policy specialist for HSI.

Animals that can be consumed include pig, cattle, sheep, donkey, rabbit, chicken, duck, goose, pigeon, quail, as well as aquatic animals who are not banned by other laws or regulations.

However, contradictory to it's approach, China approved the use of bear bile to treat coronavirus patients. Bear bile - a digestive fluid drained from living captive bears - has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Brian Daly, a spokesman for the Animals Asia Foundation, told AFP: "We shouldn't be relying on wildlife products like bear bile as the solution to combat a deadly virus that appears to have originated from wildlife.

The coronavirus outbreak is thought to have started at a wildlife market in the Chinese city of Wuhan, and authorities have acknowledged they need to bring the lucrative wildlife industry under control if it is to prevent another outbreak. This isn't the first time Chinese officials have tried to contain the trade. In 2003, civets -- mongoose-type creatures -- were banned and culled in large numbers after it was discovered they likely transferred the SARS virus to humans. The selling of snakes was also briefly banned in Guangzhou after the SARS outbreak. Coronavirus has been one of the worst pandemics that has hit the world.

Several experts have spoken on the subject of animal consumption and pandemics. A larger threat of being immunized to antibodies awaits if we continue consuming animal products.