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

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

By Adam Vaughan

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.

My instinct was to applaud the …