NEW DELHI: Even after so much hue and cry from all over the world, the wildlife market of China, the main suspected source of the dreaded COVID-19, is back in business raising fears of revival of the virus from the epicentre itself.
Commonly known as wet market, these are a series of stalls that sell fishes, chicken, mutton, beef, pork and also a variety of wild animals and birds. Emergence of COVID-19 put a spotlight on the regime’s poorly regulated wild animal trade – driven by relentless demand for exotic delicacies and ingredients for traditional medicine some real and some hoax.
China’s markets, where wild animals are often poached and crammed together, have been described as a breeding ground for disease and an incubator for a multitude of viruses to evolve and jump the species barrier to humans, one report said. But for many locals, wet markets are part of the local culture in this part of Asia including parts of North East India as people believe that meat and produce sold there is fresher and cheaper than in modern retail outlets, where the same is preserved for long before sale. These traditional markets are also a lifeline for millions of small farmers, vendors and small businesses in the vast country.
Reports have indicated that germs of COVID-19 originated from wildlife like bats, pangolins and snakes – all popular dishes in China and many Northeastern states like Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. With the end of winter season, the tradition of hunting has come to an end and so also the bush meat feast in North East.
Only this month, in Meghalaya, three persons were arrested for eating a wild leopard cat. There were also reports of killing of other wild animals like pangolins in the region earlier.
Wildlife poaching and killing do take place in the North East and animals as well and their parts have been supplied to Chinese markets for decades. Rampant killing of wildlife continues in the region too and China remains the major consumer.
