Second Chinese city bans eating dogs and cats

A second city in China has banned the eating of dog and cat meat in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The city of Zhuhai follows the example by Shenzen near Hong Kong – in both cases the ban will go into effect on 1 May.

The decision has been welcomed by animal rights activists who hope the pandemic will help to ban consumption of cats and dogs across China.

Thirty million dogs a year are killed across Asia for meat, says Humane Society International (HSI).

However, the practice of eating dog meat in China is not that common – the majority of Chinese people have never done so and say they don’t want to.

The coronavirus outbreak is believed to have originated at a wet market in Wuhan where exotic animals were sold – making the jump to humans from animals kept in close proximity.

Last week China’s ministry of agriculture and rural affairs stated for the first time that dogs should be treated as pets rather than livestock.

Read more via The Independent