Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor:  Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report

These images show some of the hundreds of pounds of illegal badger and deer carcasses seized by Chinese police despite health officials warning the deadly coronavirus can be spread by wild animals.

The crackdown came after Chinese health officials announced a temporary ban on all wild animal trading and are stepping up the fight against the unlawful activity as part of urgent disease-prevention policy.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has said the coronavirus – now formally known as covid-19 by the WHO – originated from a Wuhan seafood market where wild animals were also illegally sold.

Market regulation authorities in the city of Bazhong in south-western China’s Sichuan Province said they raided a business trading in wildlife as well as the owner’s home in a comprehensive bust on 10th February.

At the shop named as Kangrong Pickled Foods, in the city’s Bazhong District, inspectors found the carcasses of five deer, three badgers and one wild boar, all of which were being peddled as exotic meat to willing buyers.

In the owner’s home, police found more dead wildlife stock, including 11 deer carcasses, as well as 39 dead badgers and more wild boar.

In total, officials seized more than 266 kilogrammes (586 lbs) worth of now prohibited game meat.

The owner remains in custody as investigations continue.

Chinese epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan, who discovered the SARS virus in 2003, also concluded that the novel coronavirus likely came from wild animals.

He said at the time: “So-called seafood markets sell not only seafood, but also game – that is wild animals.

“Initial epidemiological analyses suggest a strong possibility [the virus] was transmitted to humans by animals.”

The ViralTab page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.