China has shut all of its wild animal markets - it was long overdue

[Judi Lynn]

In an attempt to stem the spread of coronavirus, China has shut its wildlife markets for good. It is a welcome move, says Adam Vaughan

HEALTH | COMMENT 4 March 2020
By Adam Vaughan

Josie Ford

TEAMS in China are racing to solve the mystery of which wild animal at a Wuhan food market was the source of the coronavirus that leapt into people. Snakes, pangolins or bats? We just don’t know yet.

What is clear is how seriously China is now clamping down on the trade in wildlife. Last week, the country’s highest authorities enacted a permanent ban. “It is forbidden to hunt, trade and transport terrestrial wild animals that grow and reproduce naturally in the wild for the purpose of food,” says the new law.

Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24532723-900-china-has-shut-all-of-its-wild-animal-markets-it-was-long-overdue/#ixzz6GdEg24gE

Sorry, that's as far as I can go, since the rest is by subscription only, but it is TREMENDOUS news to people who have been horrified and sickened that they have been destroying entire species for their ancient tastes. Hope this move happened in time to save the remaining few pangolins, totally rare, and timid.

[Dream Girl]

2. The revenge of the Pangolins

[Beakybird]

3. It doesn't say for medicine.

So they'll still sell concoctions made of bat eyeballs and snake intestines to stimulate chi.

[Warpy]

10. I was going to point that loophole out

because it's big enough to push a whole rhino through.

Now I can't complain a whole lot about Chinese medicine. A traditional doc gave me some powder for my asthma and, while it is hands down the nastiest shit I've ever had in my mouth, it worked. Turned out the main ingredient was ground dried gecko. Sorry for those of you with pet geckos, but they're not endangered, and like I said, it worked.

The problem comes with those 1000 year old recipes that call for things like unicorn horns and dragon scales. The unicorn horn has been rhino horn and we know what a disaster that has been. Turns out Viagra works better, anyway. For dragon scales, they substituted pangolin scales, which are made out of keratin. They could have used fingernail clippings and gotten the same benefit and without allowing coronavirus to jump species.

Personally, I think those royal physicians of a millennium ago were great jokesters, telling the high and mighty that sure, there was a cure for a limp willie, but they'd have to locate a unicorn or a dragon to get the ingredients.

The crackdown has to come down on back street folk medicine as well as exotic food peddlers.

[alittlelark]

4. BS-

They will Play the Game -


I DO NOT Believe.

[BComplex]

5. Were they eating these things because they were poor, and didn't have food?

Or were they rich people who wanted delicacies? I thought it was because they didn't have food to eat. If it's otherwise, then... eeeeewwwww!

[subterranean]

6. No, it's mainly for their supposed medicinal effects.

In traditional Chinese medicine, eating certain wild animals (or certain parts of those animals) is believed to have healing effects for various ailments. That belief is still widespread in China, even now.

[BComplex]

8. Wow. If that's the case, it sure backfired on them, did it not?

If they're of the mindset like our superstitious republican friends, then the truth of the matter won't change their minds. I guess that's why the government had to step in.

[Duppers]

11. Yes.

They believe rhino horns will help their boners! 😜

They're seriously responsible for many African species going extinct!!

And being a passionate animal lover, how do I forgive the practice of eating dogs and cats?

I've a red hot hate for their insensitivity and stupidity even tho I love my Chinese friend in Shanghai.

[herding cats]

7. Time will tell.

I'm skeptical, but will reserve some hope it sticks... this time.

[C Moon]

9. Can I request that I be permitted to REC this 1,000 million times? This is awesome!

[Duppers]

12. PLEASE let them enforce this!

It's about f'n time!

Thanks for posting, Judi.