We all know how the Covid-19 pandemic originated from China, largely because of the consumption of wild animals.

Many of them also reportedly consuming dogs!

Now, with the pandemic in full fledge all over the world, China’s Ministry of Agriculture has announced new guidelines that declare dogs as pets, rather than livestock.

A long awaited change

"As far as dogs are concerned, along with the progress of human civilisation and the public concern and love for animal protection, dogs have been 'specialised' to become companion animals, and internationally are not considered to be livestock, and they will not be regulated as livestock in China,” the ministry wrote in the guidelines as reported by Lad Bible.

The guidelines also revised a list of animals that are accepted as livestock including cattle, pigs, poultry and camels.

Thirteen animals have been given a special exemption from wild-animal trading restrictions, such as reindeer, alpaca, pheasants, ostriches and foxes.

China also had placed a temporary ban on wild animal markets after the coronavirus outbreak.

NGOs want more though

While many organisations and animals activists applauded the move, other have also pointed out that more needs to be done. 

Animal rights activists Four Paws International said that the same exemptions should also be made for cats and also called for other countries to follow suit. 



"We encourage China to also consider that cats are not livestock and should not be eaten, and encourage Cambodia, Indonesia and Vietnam to take steps to end dog and cat consumption in their countries to safeguard human health and animal welfare," they said.

We definitely agree with them here!