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Most animals in china are from all over the world, and each one has the potential to carry its viruses into the market. The reason all these animals are in the same market is because of a decision in China's government made decades ago. In the 1970s China was falling apart. Famine had killed more than 36 million people and the communist regime, which controlled all food production, was failing to feed its more than 900 million people. In 1978, on the verge of collapse, the regime gave up its control and allowed private farming. While large companies increasingly dominated the production of popular foods like pork and poultry, some smaller farmers turned to catching and raising wild animals as a way to sustain themselves. Peter Li says, "At the very beginning, it was mostly a peasant household. Backyard operations of turtles, for example, that is how wildlife farming started to get off the ground." Since it started to feed and sustain people, the Chinese government did not see the issue so they backed it up. It was imperative for the government to encourage people to make a living through whatever productivities they can find themselves in. "If you can lift yourself out of poverty no matter what you are doing, that is ok" is basically the government's response to this. However in 1988, the government made a decision that changed the shape of wildlife trade in china. They enacted the wildlife protection law, which designated the animals as "resources owned by the state" and protected people engaged in the "utilization of wildlife resources." It was one of the most devastating problems of the law because if you designate the wildlife as "natural resources," then that could mean it is something you can use for human benefit. The law also encouraged the domestication and breeding of wildlife. With these underlying factors, a new industry is born. In my opinion, but we see a pattern here, we need to stop the consumption of exotic animals, and wet markets should be shut down permanently to avoid health risks.