Right now the world is at war with an unseen enemy. Experts are now desperately trying to find a way to win a war against what is probably the most virulent and deadly virus we have ever seen. People are dying, entire populations are having to stay home, businesses are shut down and economies are in trouble. Why? Because governments have failed to take actions that could have mitigated so much pain and anguish.
The current actions being taken by governments are too little too late. The damage has already been done and everyone is playing catch up. But what about the next time? There will always be diseases and viruses that will raise their ugly heads, but this one could have been prevented or it’s effects greatly mitigated. The same goes for nearly every flu virus we now have vaccines for. What governments are ignoring is where viruses come from in the first place and not stopping the deadly practices that are allowing new viruses to get into populations
The biggest offenders are called wet markets. There are wet markets all over Asia, with many in Africa, South America and some even in Europe. A wet market is set up kind of like a farmers market where you can pick out what vegetables you want, the farmer bags them, you pay and move on. A wet market sells animals instead. The animals are all alive. They are animals like ducks, chicklens or other foul, plus small and sometimes larger animals. These animals are often wildlife that has been illegally trafficked like the Pangolin, an endangered wild, animal whose scales and meat are highly prized. Nearly all the animals are in filthy cages stacked on top of one another. You pick which animal you want, the vendor killls the animal, removes the feathers, often in a filthy machine, or skins it, and guts it. Then it’s rinsed in a tub of water containing blood from other animals and then wrapped up so you can take it home and cook it. The markets are outside and in the sun where it’s hot. The species are all mixed together so the animal you get has been rinsed in a tub with the blood of another species A domestic Duck can be rinsed in the same water as a wild animal like a Bat or Pangolin. The tubs become literal vats of viruses. It’s not only disgusting but dangerous. It only takes one virus to jump from another species where it’s harmless, to humans where it can be deadly like Covid-19. Further, the cruelty to the animals is hideous. Many are trafficked and have been shipped thousands of miles in filthy cages where they are unable to even.move. They are often nearly dead or sick when they get to market. The suffering is unconsionable. Additionally, as the climate continues to change and the planet gets hotter, wild animals are becoming stressed and even sick as they are forced to move to cooler and different environments. Loss of critical habitat to corporate interests is also stressing wildlife to the point of sickness and disease. All this makes the markets even more dangerous.
Governments know the markets are an abomination but they allow them anyway because they make millions of dollars in taxes. In China it’s billions. When a bad virus gets out, the markets are shut down but only until the illness passes. Then it’s back to business as usual. So far scientists have been able to create vaccines to prevent most viral outbreaks, but nearly every year the virus is worse than, or different from, the previous year. My point here is this should not be necessary in the first place. Nature is telling us these markets are bad not just for the animals but for humans. Further, nature is telling us there are species we are not meant to eat. People must understand that if this continues, other viruses even worse than Covid-19 will get out and wreak havoc all over the world.
Some will say shutting down the markets would interfere with cultural practices that have been in place for years. Perhaps, but I would argue that there are certain cultural practices that must be abandoned for the sake of the common good, especially in a world where air travel can spread a virus in a matter of hours. Others will say the markets provide cheap food for people who have little money. I would also argue that with some governmental help, inexpensive, safe food is possible just about everywhere.
So what can we do about all this? People need to stand up and challenge their governments and elected officials all over the world. Pressure must be put on governments to force the markets to shut down permanently. Farmers can be taught how to safely raise animals and wildlife trafficking must be stopped no matter the price because the cost economically and in lives lost will be far less than in a pandemic The political will has not been there and this has to change if we are to survive as a species. Eventually, even greedy politicians and uber rich corporate heads will realize their money can’t by them protection from a deadly virus. The world however, can no longer wait for that to happen. Action must be taken now. Nature is is talking to us and if we fail to listen we do so at our own peril.