Calls for WHO to ban wildlife markets
ANIMAL welfare organisations are urging the World Health Organisation (WHO) to speak out against the wildlife market and the risks that it poses to human health.
In a letter, 241 organisations said the wildlife market promotes an environment that allows for pathogens, viruses and bacteria to transfer from animals to humans.
It is urging the WHO to recommend that governments worldwide permanently ban the wildlife market and the use of traditional medicine.
“This decisive action, well within the WHO’s mandate, would be an impactful first step in adopting a highly-precautionary approach to wildlife trade, that poses a risk to human health. While a robust global response is critical in detecting, treating and reducing transmission, it is equally necessary to take vital measures to prevent similar emerging infectious diseases developing into pandemics.”
Four Paws SA director Fiona Miles said: “The solution to protect human and animal lives is to ban live animal markets that trade in wildlife, which is why we have signed this letter.”
Miles said with the illegal wildlife trade estimated to be the fourth-largest type of illegal trade in the world after drugs, humans and arms, the risk of further zoonotic diseases was high.
Although the legal wildlife trade is regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, its objective is only to ensure that the trade does not threaten wildlife survival.
“We applaud the country for taking serious Covid-19 measures, it’s however important that the same action is taken in terms of the commercial exploitation of wildlife. It’s just a matter of time before the next pandemic will surface and what will South Africa do when the origin of such pandemic is from our country?” Miles said.
The letter said it was not the first time that infectious diseases, including that of Covid-19, had been linked to wild animals in recent years.
Between 2002 and 2003, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars), inflicted by a coronavirus which is also believed to have emerged from wildlife markets in China, resulted in more than 8 000 human cases across 29 countries, and 774 deaths.
“Failure to enforce permanent bans on all wildlife markets will allow for a similar, but more severe, disease to emerge. Other significant zoonotic diseases and transmission have been associated with wildlife, including Ebola, Mers, HIV, bovine tuberculosis, rabies, and leptospirosis,” the letter said.