Fureedom Wall

On surviving

Here we are in the midst of a pandemic because of our appetite for – deep breaths, everyone – animals. The whole world was reluctantly stopped in its tracks and now struggles to restart its pace because of a virus that found its way from an animal to a human.

In a world where animals are not consumed and used, the likelihood of a zoonosis becoming an outbreak is very small. However, even a lockdown on the entire planet has not fazed those among us who continue to objectify animals: wet markets have reopened; companies continue to burn forests for agriculture, giving wild animals who have lost their habitats the incentive to head towards areas populated by humans; poaching continues; and commercial animal farming remains the norm. All these activities allow viruses previously hosted by animals to jump to humans, raising the risk for yet another zoonotic pandemic.

Is COVID-19 nature’s built-in defense mechanism, a way to protect creatures from those who have the potential to abuse them? In this issue, Megan Cabalcar talks about the new coronavirus and its ground zero, Wuhan, and how our relationship with animals led to our current state. Alex Bichara writes about how pandemics can start on our plates.

But even as we try to learn new things and unlearn bad habits to cope with being trapped in our own homes, let’s not forget to celebrate Mother’s Day in May – and let’s celebrate all mothers, human and animal alike, urges Nate Martinez.

Surviving the pandemic also means keeping companion animals healthy and happy. Angel Ampil tells us how to keep our fish friends alive and well during the lockdown. Dog parents banded together online to have fun with canine family members even on lockdown, as written by Maxine Louise Lagman.

The only way we can move forward without repeating our mistakes is to accept a new normal, one where we have a better relationship with all animals. But is a pandemic enough to change our ways? We can only hope it is.