There have been 770,000 reported cases of COVID-19 in over 178 different countries and regions, whilst this pandemic has also been responsible for an alarming 37,000 deaths. There is certainly a heavy emphasis on dealing with those infected and ensuring the virus doesn’t spread any further, but what is being done to ensure a similar outbreak never happens again?

 

The precise origins of this parasite are unknown, but metagenomic research indicates that it can be traced back to horseshoe bats in Southern China. Scientists speculate that the virus mutated and was passed through an intermediary first believed to be a snake, but current evidence suggests that there are genetic similarities between the strain and the genome of pangolins. 

 

Although methods such as nationwide quarantine are being enforced by governments around the globe to ensure that the spread of this virus is more immediately contained, is the increasingly apparent issue of illegal wildlife trafficking being considered with enough urgency? There are specific terms in Chinese law which state that otherwise protected and endangered species can be traded under the conditions of ‘scientific research, captive breeding, public exhibitions or performances, heritage conservation or other special purposes’. These stipulations provide many traffickers with sufficient loopholes to exploit endangered species and sell animals for consumption without sufficient health checks and regulations, which can lead to the transmission of disease; this strain of coronavirus is believed to have originated from the Wuhan South China Seafood Market. China has now issued a temporary ban on wildlife trade, an industry which employs 14 million people and is valued at $74 billion, to limit the spread of the virus. Approximately 20,000 wildlife farms which were responsible for breeding animals such as peacocks, civet cats, porcupines, ostriches, wild geese and boars have been shut down in response, despite previously being ‘Promoted by government agencies as an easy way for rural chinese people to get rich’ (The Guardian). There is high demand in China for these species and other exotic animals because they are used for medicines, cuisine and luxury items. 

 

Government measures, such as closing the market on the 1st January 2020 and reviews of the Wildlife Protection Law, aim to reduce this illegal trade and minimise the chances of a future pandemic being spread in a similar way. However evidence suggests this will do little to prevent the illegal poaching and sale of animals such as pangolins, whose scales are commonly crushed up and used in medicine. It seems that ignorance appears to be one of the key issues in the trade of pangolins, with their scales upholding no genuine curative value, whilst other species such as elephants and rhinos are also victims of misinformation, with many customers unaware that the ivory trade kills them in the process. 

 

So it seems that the blame lies not with bats, snakes or pangolins, but arguably, to an extent, with exploitative wildlife trading laws.