Just days after declaring victory over coronavirus, China allowed its wet markets to resume the sale of bats alongside live cats and dogs destined for the dinner table.
Coronavirus was likely transmitted to humans via bats sold for consumption in fresh food markets, often called wet markets, located in Wuhan, China. In January, Chinese wet markets were shut down after officials recognized the role they likely played in spreading the disease, according to Business Insider. Now, China has allowed the markets to reopen and restock with a broad variety of animals after declaring victory over COVID-19, reports the Daily Mail.
“The markets have gone back to operating in exactly the same way as they did before coronavirus,” reports a Daily Mail correspondent who visited the markets in Dongguan. “The only difference is that security guards try to stop anyone taking pictures which would never have happened before.”
The Daily Mail’s Dongguan correspondent photographed a sign advertising bats for sale, marketed as a remedy for common illnesses. Lizards, spiders, toads and iguanas were also offered.
Another Daily Mail reporter in Guilin, a city in southwest China, visited a newly reopened indoor market and discovered caged dogs and cats eventually destined for slaughter.
Vendors have also resumed selling a traditional dish that mixes dog and cat meat for a “warming” effect, according to on-the-ground reporters.
The Sun published its own photos that it claims were taken after the wet markets’ recent reopenings. Many of these images show dogs for sale as food items.
The Sun also reports that bats are still being sold for consumption in Indonesia as well.
China has reported over 82,342 cases of the virus, according to Our World In Data. Many outlets, pundits and even residents of Wuhan postulate that this number may be much higher. The first case appeared in Wuhan in November, reports LiveScience.
The Chinese Communist Party does not accept responsibility for its role in unleashing COVID-19 on the world. The official party narrative states that the virus was introduced to China by the US military rather than the wet markets, according to the Daily Mail.
Kyle Hooten
Kyle Hooten is Managing Editor of Alpha News. His coverage of Minneapolis has been featured on television shows like Tucker Carlson Tonight and in print media outlets like the Wall Street Journal.
