EXPERTS: THERE IS A NEED TO PROTECT ANIMALS FOR HUMAN SAFETY
The infected world needs to draw a line between wildlife and human existence to curb viral and deadly pandemic in the future.
About 75% of emerging diseases are zoonotic, meaning they’re caused by pathogens found naturally in animals. Diseases which made the leap from animals to humans include: Ebola, HIV, Bird flu, SARS. According to the WHO’s recent investigation into the pandemic's origins, Covid-19 likely started this way too. Some governments have expressed concerns about this inquiry — but there’s no denying that the threat of zoonotic diseases is real and urgent.
China, whose legal wildlife trade was estimated to be worth $80 billion in 2016, should be at the center of efforts to prevent this. The government already banned the breeding and sale for consumption of most terrestrial wildlife, but it’s not enough. The problem certainly isn’t confined to China. Cramped and unsanitary wildlife markets are trading in many other parts of the world, notably Southeast Asia and Africa. Phasing out such markets demands a global effort
Chinese authorities have: Shut down thousands of farms where wild animals were raised for meat, closed several markets, including online, where they were sold, added more than 500 species to its protected wildlife list. Although the law has loopholes, many wild animals can still be bred for: Fur, Research, use in traditional Chinese medicine. Unless farms follow strict quarantine, veterinary and butchering protocols which they typically haven’t, new diseases could develop.
Illegal wildlife trafficking needs cracking down on. A dip in seizures during the pandemic may be temporary. As cross-border trade picks up, poachers and traffickers should be identified and prosecuted. Publicity, campaigns can help as well. The legal trade in wild animals needs attention, too. The U.S. is the world’s largest importer of wildlife — and no animals are inspected for novel pathogens. U.S. agencies should develop a system to ensure imports are tested
Governments everywhere need to think very hard. Ignoring the issue now is a formula for more pandemics in future. And, difficult as this might be to believe, next time could be worse. This close contact enables viruses to mutate and spread. The pandemic might serve to heighten this danger, because countries will put reviving their economies first, and hesitate to hold such activities back
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