So the measures taken are in place only temporarily, and now some wildlife conservation activists are arguing that the country's wildlife protection law is inadequate and thus needs to be overhauled.

The current Wildlife Protection Law came into force in March 1989 and has been revised several times. However, there has been some skepticism about how effective the law is in combating poaching and illegal wildlife sales. Xi and Shi are among many activists who believe the epidemic has once again underlined that the law needs to be amended.

Liu Xiaoyu of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said: "Once a wildlife-derived virus occurs, it is not only difficult to control, but also has serious consequences. To prevent disasters happening again the Wildlife Protection Law should be amended to strictly prohibit hunting wild animals."