Seized wild birds are seen inside a cage at a news conference by police officers following a bust on illegal wildlife trade, in Kunming, Yunnan province, China July 9, 2018. Picture taken July 9, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. CHINA OUT. – RC132F43B8D0

In these terrifying and uncertain times, writing for this blog carries a different weight.  The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally altered each of our lives, and has infiltrated nearly every corner of the public and private sectors.  As healthcare workers take to social media to beg for personal protective equipment (PPE) such as N-95 masks and nitrile gloves, our elected officials spin the statistics and eschew empty promises to a terrified and confused public.  With so many articles, news pieces, personal accounts, and studies being published on every aspect of the virus and its impact, it becomes increasingly overwhelming to approach this work in the same manner we had before.

In today’s post, I will delve into the intersections between the current state of events, illegal wildlife trade, and conservation actions.  It is clear that this pandemic will cause a shift in legislature, which will have wide-ranging ripple effects throughout our world as we know it.

The novel coronavirus has been said to have a probable bat origin, with this outbreak stemming from an open-air seafood market in Wuhan, China (Yuan et. al, 2020).  The SARS outbreak in 2003 and COVID-19 have both served as examples of how zoonotic diseases can cross species and population borders to infect humans (Yuan et. al, 2020).  It has become undeniable at this juncture that the trade and consumption of wild animals and game must be better regulated in order to ensure public safety.

The consumption of wild game meats has cultural and historical significance in many cultures, including Chinese.  On the 26th of January, the State Administration for Market Regulation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and National Forestry and Grassland Administration in China released a statement banning the trade of wild animals including statements about the risk of eating wild game (Yuan et al. 2020).  The current pandemic has brought the topic of wildlife trade into the public sphere once again, but this issue does not only concern the control of zoonotic diseases.  Wildlife trade also serves the pet trade and the recreation industry and therefore requires careful consideration of the interest and parties at play.

According to the Dutch Council on Animal Affairs, new regulations are required to protect the interests of the public health and animal welfare (van Herten et. al, 2020).  The most ethical framework would serve animals, humans, and the ecosystem, with future actions occurring at the crossroads of these parties.  The ideals that the organization promotes are economic value, legal framework, recreational value, and cultural value.

In simpler terms, new legislation and global trade agreements are required to better protect the public from the transmission of zoonotic diseases, as well as to protect animals and ecosystems.

References:

D. Farine (2020). Mapping illegal wildlife trade networks provides new opportunities for conservation actions.  Konstanzer Online-Publikations-System (KOPS) URL: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:352-2-1b1a7redk5aov7

Jingjing Yuan, Yonglong Lu, Xianghui Cao & Haotian Cui (2020). Regulating wildlife conservation and food safety to prevent human exposure to novel virus, Ecosystem Health and Sustainability, 6:1, 1741325, DOI: 10.1080/20964129.2020.1741325

van Herten, J., Buikstra, S., Bovenkerk, B. et al. (2020) Ethical Decision-Making in Zoonotic Disease Control. J Agric Environ Ethics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10806-020-09828-x