Protect wild animals to prevent viruses like Covid-19

“The evil that men do lives after them. . .” – Shakespeare

                                                                               WBUR pic

Here’s the theory I’ve read for how coronavirus started: somewhere in China, an infected bat bit a mammal (possibly a pangolin), which then turned up at a “wet market,” where live wild animals selected for human consumption are slaughtered and sold.  

 

(As mentioned here before, although they’re not widely known, pangolins are the most heavily trafficked mammal in the world right now.  By the tons, their scales are used in traditional Asian medicine, and their meat is regarded as a delicacy.)

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/31/science/a-struggle-to-save-the-scaly-pangolin.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article

We know the rest of the story: from an infected wild animal, a human contracted coronavirus (then unknown as such) and it spread.  And spread.  By now the numbers of infected people and fatalities around the world rise so quickly that there’s no point including this minute’s figures here.  

  

                                                                             Luc Forsyth-NYTimes pic

The pangolin (or whatever the involved wild animal was) didn’t do it!  What did do it was wildlife trade, transport and consumption by humans, sometimes in defiance of prohibitions against those activities.  So now, a cry is going up for permanent bans of these practices worldwide – something that would be wonderful for wildlife. 

In fact, global respect and protection of wild animals may be the very best thing that results from this pandemic!  Further, our protecting them may also protect us from another pandemic by reducing the risk of deadly viruses like Covid-19 (CO-ronaVI-rusD-isease-19(year it started), SARs and bird flu – that all sprang from live animal markets. 

Without widespread and meaningful prohibitions against the wildlife trade – bans that are also rigorously enforced -- billions of animals, including pangolins and myriad endangered species, will continue to be “ killed simply to be sold as food,  decoration, a piece of jewelry or a symbol of wealth, or they suffer horribly only to end up in a life of captivity,” as the Humane Society International (HIS) puts it.

   

Pangolin scales

In case you wondered, yes, in February, prompted by coronavirus, China permanently banned the trade of terrestrial wildlife for food – but not for fur, medicinal or research use.  The resulting loopholes may invite “traffickers who may exploit the nonfood exemptions to sell or trade live wildlife,” analysts from the Wildlife Conservation Society have warmed. 

And yes, China had banned wildlife markets even before coronavirus, but law enforcement was obviously weak, since Wuhan’s “wet market” is seen as the source of the outbreak.  “Human harvesting of wild animals” is seen as the “root cause” of Covid-19.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/science/coronavirus-pangolin-wildlife-ban-china.html?te=1&nl=science-times&emc=edit_sc_20200303&campaign_id=34&instance_id=16444&segment_id=21819&user_id=a360dad7b26df61ea65737080d3deedd&regi_id=2076027420200303

It can’t be more clear: People, not animals, are the culprits behind the fear, death and horror we hope to survive.   

Homing shelter animals

Needing to close recently, some pet stores and shelters first needed their animals to be homed via fostering or adopting.  Trenton Animal Shelter (TAS) residents were lucky:  animals were being fostered out by Trenton Animals Rock, a volunteer group determined to place them. 

Trenton Animal Shelter

Jose Munoz, bureau chief and shelter manager, said a week ago there were just three dogs and one cat left, and the group had foster plans for them too.  Kudos to Trenton Animals Rock for caring and working for the animals.  And to Munoz, who must be setting a tone there to encourage such volunteer action. 

As a reminder, here’s an overview of the Trenton facility -- in normal times a place that always needs and appreciates volunteers and donations.   

http://1moreonce.blogspot.com/2020/02/introducing-trenton-animal-shelter.html

Blogger’s note

Awhile back, I promoted the idea of preparing a disaster kit for pets.  I still do.  But since we’re sheltering in place from a disaster right now, skip that idea – unless you have enough free time to start pulling kit ingredients together for the next one.

Whatever you do, though, please follow the advice of a doctor quoted in the Times of Trenton: “Stay the hell away from everyone else.”

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