Friday, 28 February 2020

COVID -19 outbreak highlights human-wildlife conflict


Whilst most of the world is engaged in containing and preventing COVID-19, the coronavirus, infection, a key question remains unanswered- identifying the original source of the infection. Early investigations pointed to a fish market in Wuhan province in China, which also traded in live wildlife. The hypothesis is that the infection arose from animal X in the market that was traded in the market, a carrier of the virus (1). The virus had jumped species and then infected humans. Scientists are scrambling to identify the animal. Recently published research show that coronavirus in pangolin, the scaly anteater, is 99% identical to that found in the humans (2, 3). Pangolins are prized in Chinese medicine to the extent that they are in the brink of extinction (4,5). Amongst other wildlife traded in the infamous market traded also were live pangolins and pangolin parts. However, researchers are unable to prove conclusively that pangolins are the source of the infection. So the quest continues.

COVID-19 outbreak is an example of what happens when the finely tuned relationship between humans and wildlife is jeopardized. We have repeatedly highlighted human wildlife conflict in the pages of Ecoratorio(6,7) . Many animals, particularly wildlife are reservoirs of viruses and have co-existed in this manner for ages. However, when humans upset the fragile balance by encroaching the habitats of the wildlife which make either party enter the abode of the other, or when wildlife/wildlife parts are traded, these zoonotic viruses can infect humans. Regardless of whether pangolins are the source of the COVID 19 infection, the outbreak yet again points to the persistent sore that has remained untreated-wildlife trade. Indisputably, there are environmental and ethical reasons why wildlife must be respected. A blanket ban on trading wildlife should be enforced, not only on the trade of wildlife animals for consumption but also on their use in traditional medicine. Similarly, encroachment into wildlife habitats and deforestation should be prevented. Otherwise, calamitous consequences like the current COVID 19 would be commonplace.

References
1.https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses
2. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00364-2
3. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00548-w
4.https://www.nature.com/articles/141072b0
5 https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2019/06/pangolins-poached-for-scales-used-in-chinese-medicine/
6. http://ecoratorio.blogspot.com/2011/07/fine-line.html
7. http://ecoratorio.blogspot.com/search?q=virus


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