SHANGHAI: The food market where China’s deadly virus surfaced was a smorgasbord of exotic wildlife ranging from wolf pups to species linked to previous pandemics such as civets, according to vendor information and a Chinese media report. China bans the trafficking of a number of wild species or requires special licenses, but regulations are loose for some species if they are commercially farmed. AFP was unable to directly confirm the authenticity of the price list. The paper also quoted other merchants as saying trade in wildlife took place up until the market was shuttered for disinfection shortly after the outbreak. Following SARS, China cracked down on consumption of civets and some other species, but conservationists say the trade continues.

Source: New Strait Times January 22, 2020 10:07 UTC