China offers farmers cash to give up wildlife trade

Farmers in China are being offered cash to quit breeding exotic animals as pressure grows to crack down on the illegal wildlife trade that has been blamed for the coronavirus outbreak. Authorities have for the first time pledged to buy out breeders in an attempt to curb the practice, animal rights activists say. China has in recent months banned the sale of wild animals for food, citing the risk of diseases spreading to humans, but the trade remains legal for other purposes -- including research and traditional medicine. The deadly coronavirus -- first reported in the central Chinese city of Wuhan -- is widely believed to have passed from bats to people before spreading worldwide.

Source: Reuters