Public security forces around China will crack down on gangs that purchase, traffic and sell protected wild animals to cut off the source of viruses, including the novel coronavirus, according to an urgent notice.

Some places still see wild animals that often carry viruses as local delicacies, which have posed grave threats to public health, according to a notice published by the Ministry of Public Security on its official website on Friday.

Experts have said the novel coronavirus was first found on bats. Its intermediate hosts, also believed to be wild animals, remain unidentified.

By continuing to distribute wild animals, people have made it difficult to control the current outbreak. Police forces must crack down on illegally purchasing, trafficking and selling protected and endangered wild animals. The sources of supply chains and distribution networks will also be rooted out, the notice said.

Trans-regional criminal gangs distributing protected and endangered wild animals will be particularly targeted. The latest campaign aims to cut off viruses at the source, it added.

Detailed inspections of agritourism facilities, pet markets and wild animal breeding bases will be launched to cut channels of illegally trading wild animals. The police will also strike hard on poaching activities in wild animals' natural habitats.

Police forces also encouraged the public to provide leads on the illegal distribution of wild animals. Since the novel coronavirus outbreak, people have been posting videos of buying wild animals, including snakes and exotic birds, on social media.