Chinese city BANS the eating of dogs and cats

A city in China has banned its residents from eating dog and cat meat with a groundbreaking new law in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic.



Animal activists have demanded the Chinese government prohibit the consumption of pets for years, and the new accord is the first of its kind in the country.

The legislation was yesterday passed by lawmakers in Shenzhen, a city of around 13 million people, and will take effect on May 1, according to a government notice.

One charity group hailed the passage as a 'historic decision' which marked 'a watershed moment' in the animal protection in China.

The annual Yulin Dog Meat Festival is one of the most controversial food festivals in China and sees thousands of dogs cruelly killed, skinned and cooked with blow-torches before being eaten by the locals.

Apart from dogs, the regulations bar snake, frog and turtle meat from the dinner table.

The news comes after China banned all trade and consumption of wild animals, a practice believed responsible for the country's deadly virus epidemic.