Can Asia´s infectious disease-producing wildlife trade be stopped?
(WorldNews Environment)

For the past 40 years, the Chinese government has promoted the wild animal trade as a form of rural economic development. But the industry ground to a halt this winter when it became clear that the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan originated in a `wet market` - where throngs of customers shop for live animals held in cramped quarters. When this connection emerged in January, the government ordered a freeze on the sale and consumption of wild animals, which was stiffly enforced - 700 people were arrested for violations in the first two weeks of February. On February 24, the government initiated a permanent ban with a decree titled, `Comprehensively Prohibiting the Illegal Trade of Wild Animals,...