Charities call for world ban on wildlife markets

CONSERVATIONISTS ARE calling on the World Health Organisation (WHO) to recommend governments shut down wild animal markets to prevent future pandemics.

More than 200 wildlife groups have signed an open letter calling on WHO to do all it can to prevent new diseases emerging from the wildlife trade.

The evidence suggests Covid-19 has animal origins, likely from bats, and may have come from “wet markets” where live and dead creatures are sold for eating, leading to a temporary ban on the markets by the Chinese.

Previous global epidemics including severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Ebola have also been linked to viruses that spread from animals to people.

The letter calls on WHO to recommend to governments worldwide that they bring in permanent bans on live wildlife markets and act to close down or limit trade in wildlife to reduce the threat to human health. The groups also want the use of wildlife, including from captive-bred animals, to be “unequivocally” excluded from the organisation’s definition and endorsement of traditional medicine.

Conservationists also said the WHO should work with governments and international bodies to raise awareness of the risks the wildlife trade poses.

The letter has been co-ordinated by Born Free, and backed by organisations including the Bat Conservation Trust, International Fund for Animal Welfare and the Zoological Society of London.

Dr Mark Jones, head of policy at Born Free, said: “We need to dig deep and reset our fundamental relationship with the natural world, rethink our place in it and treat our planet and all its inhabitants with a great deal more respect, for its sake and for ours.”