Six months ago how many of us could have imagined the loss of life and wealth caused by the Covid-19 pandemic?
There is a projected economic loss of at least $4.1 trillion and a loss of life exceeding hundreds of thousands or even millions. Can we even imagine what our world will look like in the coming year? There’s no end in sight.Everyone looks for culprits to blame. And there are many candidates. But there is one obvious
Everyone looks for culprits to blame. And there are many candidates. But there is one obvious suspect, and that is the global trade in wildlife. SARS, MERS, Avian Flu, and now Covid-19 are four recent examples of viral diseases originating from wildlife trafficking.
What new viral threats await?
When we look at the damage we now suffer from one particular virus, what can we look forward to in the future? There are 1.7 million other undiscovered viruses in wildlife that could each bring similar threats. What if two or three confront us at the same time? And that time could be in a few months when we’re still at war against the present pandemic.There are serious ethical concerns and issues of human decency involved in the wildlife trade.
There are serious ethical concerns and issues of human decency involved in the wildlife trade. But now, to make a broader appeal, let’s focus on practical issues like life and economic impact.
Environmental activists talk about “saving the earth”. Actually the earth will survive most of what humans do. It’s our species in particular that’s in a precarious position. So maybe we should look at the problem from the standpoint of enlightened self-interest.
Future epidemics could result in greater loss of life and economic destruction. This would bring greater loss of life and well being. And it can happen any time. The old rule of thumb about pandemics hitting us every hundred years fails to consider how much more local the global community has become.
Today viruses from across the globe have thousands of jet planes to hitch a ride on and arrive at our front door. And 2/3 of infectious diseases come from transmission from animals to humans. Whether it is a wet market in China or poaching in Africa, this kind of commerce threatens our
Whether it is a wet market in China or poaching in Africa, this kind of commerce threatens our way of like. If the cause is wildlife trafficking, what is the solution?
Solving the Trafficking Problem
What can we do? This kind of trade has gone on throughout human history. Changing human behavior never comes fast or easy.
First we can support the Wildlife Crime Initiative (WCI) that was launched in 2014. Their goal is to work at every step of the chain of trafficking and to cut the trade 50% by 2024. This will reduce the threat to bio-diversity by saving many species now poised for extinction. And it slashes our risks from future viral pandemics.
There are side benefits that result, especially for local communities, such as greater security, rule of law, better business growth, and improved well-being.Besides that, we can get behind local initiatives with similar objectives. Besides that, we can get behind local initiatives with similar objectives.
Wildlife foods are a high-status luxury in some cultures. Folk medicines from wildlife are a tradition in many places. Many wildlife pets, especially birds and small mammals, pose the biggest threat of viruses capable of jumping to humans.
To deal with this, WCI would ban all commercial trade in wildlife. We could make reasonable exemptions. For example, sustainably-sourced seafood, meeting nutritional and cultural needs of Indigenous Peoples. Accommodating accredited zoos, sanctuaries, and museums.
The world wildlife trade offers many opportunities for disease transmission from animals to humans. Decreasing contact with wildlife would restrict these opportunities. This protects humans at all levels of the chain, domestic livestock, global trade, and, of course, the trafficked species. The entire ecosystem wins.
“These numbers combined suggest that at least some multiple of 1 billion
direct and indirect contacts among wildlife, humans, and domestic animals
result from the wildlife trade annually.” Dr. Karesh
Dr. Karesh is the director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Field Veterinary Program and also serves as the co-chair of the World Conservation Union Veterinary Specialist Group.
When Americans began acquiring African rodents from Ghana as pets, they also acquired Moneypox, which infects local rodents and then humans.
Steps Needed to Fix the Problem
WCI would deal with these problems by banning all commercial trade in wildlife. They would make exceptions for some seafood, cultural and nutritional needs of indigenous peoples, zoos, sanctuaries, and museums.They would phase out eating wildlife and using them for medicine. Birds and small mammals offer the greatest risk and would be a main
They would phase out eating wildlife and using them for medicine. Birds and small mammals offer the greatest risk and would be a main target of this ban.
WCI wants greater U.S. funding for stopping illegal trade in wildlife. It seeks better cooperation with governments that are major sources of the trade. This would help preserve species as well as land and ocean ecosystems. It would conserve biodiversity and protect us from dangerous viruses.