World Animal Protection Calls on WHO to Ban Wildlife Markets to Save Human Lives

TORONTO, April 7, 2020 /CNW/ - As the world continues to fight COVID-19, over 200 organizations, including World Animal Protection, Humane Society International and Born Free have issued a letter urging the World Health Organization (WHO) to endorse a permanent ban on live wildlife markets and the use of wildlife in traditional medicine.

Pangolins are considered the most heavily trafficked animal in the world. These small, shy mammals suffer horrible deaths as they can be boiled alive to remove their keratin scales, which are highly valued in traditional medicine. Their meat is also consumed and is considered a delicacy. Credit: World Animal Protection (CNW Group/World Animal Protection)

The letter, sent on World Health Day (April 7, 2020), highlights that with the suspected COVID-19 link to a live wildlife market in China, WHO must take action to achieve its mission to serve public health at all times by recommending that governments worldwide permanently ban live wildlife markets and the use of wildlife in traditional medicine.

These actions would help protect human life from future pandemics such as COVID-19. Sixty percent of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, meaning they originate from animals and 70% of those are thought to originate from wild animals. 

The letter states: "While a robust global response is critical in detecting, treating and reducing transmission [of COVID-19], it is equally necessary to take vital measures to prevent similar emerging infectious diseases developing into pandemics with the associated threats to human life and social and economic well-being."

A ban on wildlife markets is urgently needed to prevent the unregulated and unhygienic conditions and the close proximity between humans and animals, which provides the perfect opportunity for pathogens to spread.

This risk is further exacerbated by the cruel conditions in which animals are typically farmed or collected from the wild, transported to and kept at such markets. This inevitably results in large numbers of different species being held in close proximity, causing immense stress and weakening of their immune systems.

Gilbert Sape, Head of the Wildlife Not Medicine campaign at World Animal Protection says, "We all commend WHO's efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19.  Given this pandemic is believed to have originated at a wildlife market, we're calling on WHO to unequivocally state the proven link between these markets and the serious threats they can cause to human health."

Sape continues that WHO can help prevent future pandemics by excluding the use of wildlife from their endorsement of traditional medicine, especially as plant-based alternatives are available. This could help save lives in the future and help protect millions of wild animals that are unnecessarily and cruelly farmed or poached from the wild to supply this industry. 

These organizations strongly urge WHO to:

• Recommend to governments worldwide that they institute a permanent ban on live wildlife markets, drawing an unequivocal link between these markets and their proven threats to human health.
• Recommend to governments that they address the potential risks to human health from the trade in wildlife - including collection from the wild, ranching, farming, transport, and trade through physical or online markets for any purpose – and act to close down or limit such trade in order to mitigate those risks.
• Unequivocally exclude the use of wildlife, including from captive bred specimens, in WHO's definition and endorsement of Traditional Medicine and revise WHO's 2014-2023 Traditional Medicine Strategy accordingly to reflect this change.
• Assist governments and lead a coordinated response among the World Trade Organization, World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and other multilateral organizations worldwide in awareness-raising activities to clearly inform of the risks of wildlife trade to public health, social cohesion, economic stability, law and order and individual health.
• Support and encourage initiatives that deliver alternative sources of protein to subsistence consumers of wild animals in order to further reduce the risk to human health.

About World Animal Protection

From our offices around the world, including Australia, Brazil, Kenya, and Canada, we move the world to protect animals. Last year, we gave more than 3 billion animals better lives through our campaigns that focus on animals in the wild, animals in disasters, animals in communities and animals in farming. More information can be found at www.worldanimalprotection.ca

SOURCE World Animal Protection

Contact Nina Devries for an interview with a spokesperson or for B-roll and images - [email protected] or 437-970-6565