Banning bat meat
It’s been widely reported that the coronavirus outbreak originated from the consumption of bat meat in the pandemic epicentre of Wuhan, China, from what is known as a zoonotic pathogen, a virus that jumps from an animal to infect a human. Although the origins of the virus are still relatively unknown, calls for China and the rest of the world to curb the sale of exotic animals as food have grown louder in recent months for fear that another pandemic is just a bite away. With more than just bats on the menu, Chinese ‘wildlife markets’ stock wild animals as bushmeat, a practice that was legal until a ban was enforced on 26 January this year. However, the ban does not prevent ‘wildlife farmers’ from breeding exotic animals for meat. It’s believed that two provinces in China are offering a buy-back scheme for farmers to transition to alternative livelihoods. Farmers are reportedly being offered 120 yuan (around £13) per kilogram of cobra, 630 yuan (about £70) per porcupine and 600 yuan (about £67) per civet cat. This is, however, not an issue resting solely on the shoulders of China, but one that reaches around the world.