By Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterA joint letter by the Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan and foreign groups is calling on the WHO and other global bodies to close wildlife markets to reduce human and animal health risks, citing the COVID-19 outbreak in China as an example. Wildlife markets have also been associated with other epidemics, such as the global outbreaks of SARS in 2002 and 2003, and Ebola epidemics in Africa in recent years, it said. While China has announced a temporary ban on wildlife trade and wildlife markets across the country, the measures should be made permanent, it added. Stopping wildlife trade also safeguards biodiversity, as 1 million animal and plant species are on the verge of extinction, the letter said. Wildlife sales in Taiwan have declined significantly since a 1994 amendment to the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法) banned the trade of protected wildlife, but some eateries still sell wildlife, such as the Formosan Reeves’ muntjac and civets, Lin said.

Source: Taipei Times February 15, 2020 15:56 UTC