Wild animals - the source of Wuhan pneumonia

Before closing, the seafood market in Wuhan was filled with wildlife such as snakes, civets, bats, and intermediate hosts of the corona virus.

On the morning of January 23, a strange pneumonia disease in China infected 570 people, causing 17 patients to die. The cases are mostly in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, including people who work or live near the Huanan Seafood Market. According to experts, this is the source of the outbreak. The market sells all kinds of wildlife "in the sky and under the sea".

Locals claim that shrimp, crab and striped bass are the main items at the 50,000-square-meter Huanan seafood market. However, many wildlife species are also sold in every corner.

Ai, 58, who lives near the area, said some stalls sold live animals such as snakes, mice, porcupines and pheasants. This has been going on for quite a long time and was announced by Wuhan Industry and Trade Administration in September this year. City officials have inspected the business licenses and safety documents of eight wildlife stalls.

Yuexiu is another market in Guangzhou province, a city famous for its curious diners. Looking at the stalls, no one thought, small businesses here sell live animals. However, the reality is exactly the opposite.

"Wait a minute, I'll get it from the back door," a vendor at Yuexiu said when asked about raw chicken.

At Conghua Market, Guangzhou, transactions are no less exciting. Dozens of guests are paying the price to the stall owner. Here, raw chicken is sold for 17 yuan (about 57,000 VND) per kg.

After a visit to the Wuhan Seafood Market, Zhong Nanshan, director of China's Key Respiratory Laboratory, said the source of the coronavirus virus could be from a bamboo mouse or badger."Although it is called a seafood market, many people sell it to rare animals," he said.

Huanan Seafood Market when not closed, sold more than 100 types of animals including civets, foxes, wolves . (Photo: Health Policy Watch).

Until now, wildlife trade was strictly banned in China. Some places are not allowed to sell live animals. Companies are allowed to raise for commercial purposes, but require a provincial government license, according to the National Wildlife Protection Law.

The ban was printed on banners, hanging along the road to farmers' markets, just outside the busy Third Ring Road. However, some sellers and buyers do not seem to care. They do this surreptitiously. The store owner complies with the regulations, has never known of the "underground" selling places, or refuses to talk about the issue.

Hu Xingdou, an economist, said the Chinese have a special interest in eating wildlife. This is rooted in culture and economy. Enjoying specialties like rare meat and animal organs becomes a "measure" of wealth for some.

List of wildlife and prices are sold at a market stall.(Photo: Weibo).

In 2002-2003, civets at a market in Guangdong province were identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an intermediate host to transmit the virus from bats to humans, causing an outbreak of SARS. The disease infected 8098 people, leaving 774 patients dead.

Since then, many Chinese have been more cautious about consuming wildlife. According to a survey published in 2006 by WildAid, about 70% of the 24,000 respondents said 16 mainland cities gave up the habit. However, this is still a painful issue for world epidemiologists.

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