Chinese market regulation and forestry authorities in a number of provinces have taken extensive measures to crack down on the illegal wildlife trade in recent days.

The move follows a comprehensive ban recently issued by the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress on the consumption of wild animals.

Since Jan. 26, market regulation departments at all levels in central China’s Hunan province have strictly implemented the requirements prohibiting the wildlife trade.

Wild animals are not allowed to enter agricultural markets, which are also being urged to shut down the live poultry trade and stop the slaughter of live poultry.

By Feb. 16, market regulators at all levels in Hunan had made 14,056 checks of e-commerce platform websites, urging them to delete or block 12,273 pieces of wildlife trade information.

Market regulation authorities in Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong province, have also worked with disease control, public security, forestry and urban management departments recently to investigate the wild animal trade in their jurisdictions.

After discovering wild animal sales in an agricultural market in Guangzhou, forestry police officers took one suspect away for investigation, and later seized a batch of wild animals from his rented house.

Meanwhile, special operations have been launched in east China’s Anhui and northern China’s Hebei provinces as part of the crackdown.

The Anhui provincial market regulation bureau, department of public security, department of agriculture and rural affairs, and forestry bureau have jointly issued a notice with customs authorities announcing the launch of a campaign against the illegal wildlife trade.

As of Feb. 5, forestry police in Hebei had seized 310 wild animals.