The Chinese city of Shenzhen has banned the sale and consumption of dog and cat meat, after the outbreak of the Corona virus was associated with the meat of wild animals, prompting the Chinese authorities to ban the trade and consumption of these animals as the new law will enter into force on May 1.
The International Humane Society said that 30 million dogs are killed every year across Asia for meat.
"Dogs and cats as pets have established a closer relationship with humans than all other animals, and banning the consumption of dogs, cats and other pets is a common practice in developed countries and in Hong Kong and Taiwan," the Shenzhen government said.
"This ban also responds to the demand and the spirit of human civilization."
The International Humane Society praised the move.
"This could be a watershed moment in the efforts to end this brutal trade that kills an estimated 10 million dogs and 4 million cats in China every year," said Dr. Peter Lee, a Chinese policy specialist for the association.
But at the same time as this decision was issued, China agreed to use bears bitterness to treat patients with the Corona virus, although there is no evidence that it is effective against the virus, while the process is painful and catastrophic for animals.
"Wild animal products such as the bitterness of bears should not be relied upon as a solution to combat a deadly virus that appears to have originated from these animals," Brian Daly, a spokesman for the Asia Animal Foundation, told AFP.