The natural habitats of wild animals keep shrinking as humans chop down more forests and come into ever closer contact with them. Despite the threat of extinction, they often end up on the world’s dinner plates. The rarer the better for some. The higher the price for poachers. But dining on endangered species can cost you your health. Zoonotic diseases. AIDS, Ebola, and the new coronavirus all jumped from wild animals to us. And they’ll do it again. COVID-19 broke out at a wild animal market in Wuhan, China. There were international calls for the closure of such markets. But experts warn a blanket ban could drive the trade underground. What’s certain is that hygiene standards at wet markets need an overhaul. Otherwise the sharing of diseases between animals and humans will continue.
Zoonotic diseases: Can we prevent the next pandemic? | Covid-19 Special
