Civet cat breeders were dealt a heavy blow when Chinese scientists traced the SARS virus to a similar virus found in several species of wildlife.

　　To eliminate the alleged source of the epidemic, authorities quickly closed down civet cat breeding farms across the country. No transport or consumption of the animal was allowed.

　　Beginning in early May, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, along with forestry authorities, have urged relevant government departments at all levels to suspend the processing of business license applications for business transactions involving the civet cat, said Wu Minglu, forestry official in the northern province of Hebei.

　　In late May, Hebei officials confiscated 135 civet cats, and 20,000 were placed in isolation in some 13 provinces nationwide.

　　The fate of the animals lies in the hands of the scientists who are conducting research on the possible link.

　　The breeding of the civet cat was once a fairy profitable business, as well as a short-cut for many farmers to earn a sizable income. The SARS outbreak, however, has completely dashed their hopes.

　　"I would never have bred them had I known that they might carry the SARS virus," said Gai Longlong, a farmer in Hebei's Pingshan County, who spent at least 10,000 yuan (US,200) in purchasing 35 civet cats last March.

　　Liao Zefeng, the owner of a civet cat breeding farm in Jiangxi Province in the east, was preparing to sell his mature cats when the possible link to SARS became public. "If the news had come out days later, I could have earned more than 100,000 yuan," said the 35-year-old farmer, who now must feed the 1,200 cats, not knowing whether they will ever be sold.

　　Scientists note that quarantine and isolation are necessary.

　　However, additional, in-depth research is needed to determine whether or not civet cats or other wildlife were the original conduit of the disease's spread to humans.