NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Premium
Home / World

Covid 19 coronavirus: China vowed to keep wildlife off the menu, a tough promise to keep

By Steven Lee Myers
New York Times·
7 Jun, 2020 08:52 PM9 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

The Wuhan Huanan Wholesale Seafood Market in Wuhan, where a number of people related to the market fell ill. Photo / AP

The Wuhan Huanan Wholesale Seafood Market in Wuhan, where a number of people related to the market fell ill. Photo / AP

The government has moved slowly to permanently stop the sale and consumption of wild animals in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic, raising fears the practice may continue.

Bamboo rats lifted Mao Zuqin out of poverty. Now, because of the coronavirus pandemic, poverty threatens again.

Mao has over the last five years built a viable farm in southern China with 1,100 bamboo rats, a chubby, edible rodent that is a delicacy in the region. Then, in February, China's government suspended the sale and consumption of wildlife, farmed or captured, abruptly freezing a trade identified as the likely source of the outbreak.

He still has to feed them, though, and has no way to cover his costs or investments.

"I'm up to my ears in debt," he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

READ MORE:
• Covid 19 coronavirus: NZ's 16th straight day of no new cases
• Covid 19 coronavirus: Level 1 - it's now Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's decision today
• Covid 19 coronavirus: Brazil stops publishing number of virus deaths
• Covid 19 coronavirus: 15 straight days of zero Covid cases - but still one stubborn case left

China has been lauded for suspending the wildlife trade, but the move has left millions of workers like Mao in the lurch. Their economic fate, along with major loopholes in the government's restrictions, are threatening to undermine China's pledge to impose a permanent ban.

China's legislature, the National People's Congress, adjourned its annual session late last month without adopting new laws that would end the trade. Instead, the congress issued a directive to study the enforcement of current rules as it drafts legislation, a process that could take a year or more.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The delay is raising fears that China may repeat the experience of the Sars epidemic in 2003, when the country banned sales of an animal linked to the outbreak — the palm civet — only to quietly let the decree lapse a few months later after the crisis peaked.

"The momentum is not favourable," said Peter J. Li, an associate professor at the University of Houston-Downtown and a China policy adviser for the Humane Society International.

Discover more

World

Six months of coronavirus: What is still uncertain

03 Jun 05:00 AM
World

Genes may leave some people more vulnerable to severe Covid-19

04 Jun 08:17 PM
World

Coronavirus rips into regions previously spared

05 Jun 01:41 AM
Business

How the coronavirus makes a no-deal Brexit more likely

07 Jun 11:26 PM
Mao Zuqin, a farmer who raises bamboo rats in Pingle County, in the Guangxi region of China. Photo / Mao Zuqin via The New York Times
Mao Zuqin, a farmer who raises bamboo rats in Pingle County, in the Guangxi region of China. Photo / Mao Zuqin via The New York Times

In moving to restrict the wildlife trade, China's government is fighting deeply rooted cultural and culinary traditions, including a canon of ancient literature extolling the medicinal benefits of ingesting animals like bears, tigers and rhinoceroses.

The pandemic spread from a market in Wuhan, where animals were sold from cages and slaughtered on the spot, in less-than-ideal sanitary conditions, because of a premium placed on freshness.

While directives from the Communist Party leadership are rarely challenged openly, a permanent ban has powerful constituencies and interests arrayed against it. There are already signs of internal debates.

Some cities have moved ahead with bans on hunting and selling wild game, including Beijing last week. Wuhan also announced a five-year ban. In rural regions like Mao's, though, officials have been lobbying for exemptions, in part to meet the target set by China's leader, Xi Jinping, to eradicate extreme poverty by this year.

The Ministry of Agriculture last week removed dogs from its "whitelist" of approved domesticated livestock — a victory for those who have campaigned against the tradition of eating dog meat. But it also added two new species previously considered wild, emus and Muscovy duck, allowing for them to be sold.

Bear bile capsules for sale at a traditional Chinese medicine store in Beijing. Photo / Giulia Marchi, The New York Times
Bear bile capsules for sale at a traditional Chinese medicine store in Beijing. Photo / Giulia Marchi, The New York Times

It did not add bamboo rats, despite appeals from farmers in Mao's region, Guangxi. The rats are covered by a separate government list of 54 wild animals approved for capture, sale and consumption, reflecting the myriad and overlapping laws governing the trade.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It is disappointing that China has lost this rare opportunity to take the lead and set a great example for the world by passing progressive legislation for preventing future pandemics," Pei Su, who leads ACTAsia, an international animal rights organization, said in a statement.

The government has already made exceptions for the use of wild animals for fur and traditional Chinese medicine, which Communist Party authorities have actively promoted, including the use of bear bile as a treatment for COVID-19.

The exemptions have created loopholes that could feed an illicit trade for game meat. There is one for pangolins, an endangered animal that has been identified as a possible carrier of the coronavirus. Its meat — prized by some as a source of virility — is contraband, but it is legal to purchase medicines made from its scales.

Pangolin scales at a traditional Chinese medicine store in Beijing. Photo / Giulia Marchi, The New York Times
Pangolin scales at a traditional Chinese medicine store in Beijing. Photo / Giulia Marchi, The New York Times

A shop only steps from Tiananmen Square displays pangolin scales, advertising them as one of 28 ingredients in a capsule called Guilingji, which the company touts as treatment for impotency, fatigue and memory loss, among other ailments. Other ingredients include deer antlers, seahorse and sparrow brains.

On Friday, the government announced that it was raising the pangolin to the highest level of protection for endangered species; the statement did not address its use in traditional medicine, though.

When the coronavirus emerged in Wuhan, the Chinese moved swiftly against the wildlife trade, at least initially, raising hopes of those who have long campaigned against the exploitation of animals.

The first cluster of cases occurred in the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, a sprawling maze of shops and stalls that included a number of vendors who sold live animals. It was shut down January 1, even before officials fully understood or acknowledged the severity of the outbreak.

China's Center for Disease Control later reported that it had found the coronavirus in environmental samples taken from that part of the market. Officials have not yet linked the coronavirus to any specific animal, though it likely originated in bats, as did the severe acute respiratory syndrome pandemic, and then jumped to another mammal and finally to humans.

Zhong Nanshan, a prominent Chinese scientist involved in the fight against the outbreak, identified two other possible intermediaries: badgers and bamboo rats. Both were on sale in Wuhan.

At the end of January, the national government ordered markets to stop selling live animals — though it made an exemption for fish, crabs and other seafood. A month later, as the death toll began to soar, it announced that it would suspend the trade in all terrestrial wild animals.

Xi himself called for an end to the tradition. "We have long recognised the risks of consuming wildlife," he said in February, "but the game industry is still huge and poses a major public health hazard."

His remarks reflected a growing backlash in China toward indulging in exotic wildlife, often for little more than status or unproven medicinal benefits.

A market in Langfang on Thursday, the day before new national restrictions on the sale of some animals were announced in January. Photo / Giulia Marchi, The New York Times
A market in Langfang on Thursday, the day before new national restrictions on the sale of some animals were announced in January. Photo / Giulia Marchi, The New York Times

Aili Kang, director of the China program for the Wildlife Conservation Society, said societal attitudes have shifted dramatically since the SARS epidemic, when breakneck economic development fueled supply and demand for wildlife of all kinds. "People are talking about ecological civilisation now," she said.

Kang noted that the work report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang at the National People's Congress was the first to mention the illegal trade in wildlife.

"I feel positive about the progress," she said.

Chinese officials and state media have hailed the government's action as a permanent ban, but it was only a suspension until officials could revise the relevant laws. The work report promised to end "the illegal trade and consumption of wildlife," without detailing what steps would be taken to regulate what has been legal.

Xi himself identified some of the challenges in turning the government's pledge into reality. He has referred to lapses in enforcement of existing laws, poor public health standards, the illicit trafficking of animals and the economic development the legal trade has driven.

Wildlife breeding has become a big business worth nearly US$8 billion, according to an estimate in 2017. Finding alternative jobs and income will be a daunting task, especially in the wake of the pandemic.

In Guangxi, the region bordering Vietnam where Mao lives, bamboo rat farms have boomed in the last two decades, encouraged by the government as a way to lift farmers out of poverty. According to Liu Kejun, a senior researcher with the region's Animal Husbandry Research Institute, 100,000 people are raising 18 million bamboo rats there.

Mao, who is unmarried and lives with his ailing mother, said he used to make the equivalent of $1,000 a year growing peanuts and corn but switched to bamboo rats in 2015. He began with 100 and then invested his proceeds into expansion. With 1,100 rats now, he can make more than $21,000 a year, an income that suddenly is imperilled.

"I invested so much money that I do not dare to give up," he said in a telephone interview from his village, in Pingle County. "I feel helpless."

A popular local food market in Nanning. Finding alternative jobs and income to wildlife breeding will be a daunting task for many, especially in the wake of the pandemic. Photo / Getty Images
A popular local food market in Nanning. Finding alternative jobs and income to wildlife breeding will be a daunting task for many, especially in the wake of the pandemic. Photo / Getty Images

What to do with the millions of animals covered by the suspension is uncertain.

Mao continues to feed his, awaiting guidance from the authorities. A gruesome video posted on state media showed farmers in Guangdong province culling thousands of theirs as government workers supervised.

Some places, though not yet Guangxi, have announced programs to help farmers affected by the suspension. Hunan has offered escalating levels of compensation for bamboo rats, snakes, porcupines, civets and deer.

Officials have also encouraged farmers to shift to crops or animals for traditional medicine or pelts, which means the animals' meat could still find its ways into markets. Bamboo rat fur can be used to make bristles for brushes, for example, though another farmer in Guangxi, Xie Fujie, said the demand for that was too limited to replace the sales from meat. He has even more rats — 15,000. "There's nothing to do," he said.

Some officials have complained.

Ran Jingcheng, a forestry official in the neighboring Guizhou province who oversees the industry, warned about the dire consequences for farmers. In unusually blunt public comments, he questioned why the government suspended the trade if the exact source of the pandemic remains unknown.

"You can see the angry farmers, flailing with their tools as if venting, disposing of animals, dismantling infrastructure," Ran wrote on WeChat on Sunday.

Still, he held out hope the government might reconsider.

"It's a pity the farmers cannot afford it; otherwise they might preserve some stock," he said. "One day there may be another turning point."


Written by: Steven Lee Myers
Photographs by: Giulia Marchi
© 2020 THE NEW YORK TIMES

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from World

World

Trump says US will send Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine

World

German 'doctor death' facing trial for alleged murder of at least 15 patients

World

Clashes in Sweida between Bedouin and Druze leave 37 dead


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

Trump says US will send Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine
World

Trump says US will send Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine

The President also hinted at new sanctions on Russia amid growing tensions with Putin.

14 Jul 04:56 AM
German 'doctor death' facing trial for alleged murder of at least 15 patients
World

German 'doctor death' facing trial for alleged murder of at least 15 patients

14 Jul 04:47 AM
Clashes in Sweida between Bedouin and Druze leave 37 dead
World

Clashes in Sweida between Bedouin and Druze leave 37 dead

14 Jul 02:37 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP