The coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc throughout the world. Inevitably, attention is beginning to focus on those practices that appear to have led to the pandemic in the first place. Despite many alternative explanations, including some highly implausible conspiracy theories, the prevailing consensus is that Covid-19 originated in Wuhan, leading the Chinese government to shut down the “Wuhan Huanan” market indefinitely on New Year’s Day 2020. This has been followed in recent weeks by increasing international pressure, from politicians, pressure groups and concerned individuals, amplified by the pronouncements of prominent celebrities, to abolish “wet markets” worldwide, especially in China.
Wet markets are by no means a purely Chinese phenomenon. Indeed, such markets are a fact of life in many Southeast Asian countries (Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam), as well as further afield, in Africa and South America. Wet markets enable poorer people to buy fresh local produce at affordable prices. The products usually on offer include fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices, alongside fresh meat and fish. In the absence of refrigeration facilities, this produce is kept fresh by the use of chips and slabs of ice. Melting ice also provides water, which is used to wash blood and entrails from countertops and floors, leading to the designation “wet”.
Normally, wet markets should not pose a problem to human health, nor raise concerns of animal welfare and cruelty. The problem arises when live animals are taken to, and then sold, in these markets. This may include not only the usual farmed “food animals”, such as poultry, larger mammals and fishes, but also what are normally regarded as companion animals, such as cats and dogs. An even bigger problem is caused by the trade in exotic wildlife, frequently including protected and endangered species of the animal kingdom. Birds, reptiles (lizards, snakes) and other assorted wildlife, such as bats, foxes, monkeys, rats and squirrels, may thus feature among the offerings on sale in wet wildlife markets.
Many examples of cruel and unsanitary practice are to be found wherever live animals are kept together, and then painfully and inhumanely slaughtered on site, away from well-equipped abattoirs specially designed for the purpose. Animals, often diseased and injured, are crowded together, even stacked up in six-foot-high cages. Contamination with urine, faeces, blood and respiratory secretions is inevitable. This enables cross-contamination, leading to the transfer of so-called zoonotic or animal viruses between animals and across species. Newly transferred viruses can then multiply in new animal hosts, producing an environment characterised by large viral loads. This environment allows both established as well as newer viruses to readily “jump” to human food handlers and consumers. The evolutionary survival of such viruses is further enhanced by processes of genetic recombination and mutation.
The transfer of animal-borne viruses to human hosts has led to many recent epidemics and pandemics. Viruses have thus been transferred from bats to humans via a range of intermediate animal hosts, such as civet cats (SARS), camels (MERS) and primates (Ebola virus). Similarly, avian flu (H5N1) originated from birds, swine flu from pigs, and HIV from great apes. There seems little doubt that disrupting the delicate balance between humans and other animals leads directly to the easy and rapid spread of viral infections between species.
Urgent action is needed. The trade in live wild animals has to stop. The buying, selling and transportation of live animals should be banned. This is, however, easier said than done. Unfortunately, in countries such as China, exotic meats are frequently regarded as a delicacy. Furthermore, wild animal products are also widely used in traditional medicines as well as for ornamental purposes. Behaviours and cultural norms will have to change, otherwise the wildlife trade will continue to flourish, irrespective of any sanctions that may be imposed. Laws will also have to be passed, criminalising the use of wild animals for food and other purposes. On 26 January 2020, China accordingly banned the trade in wild animals for food, for an indefinite period, just as it did after the SARS outbreak in 2003. But the sale of wild animals as exotic pets or for ornamentation or traditional medicine continues unrestricted. It seems likely, however, that further action will be taken by the Chinese authorities, in due course.
Covid-19 has given the world a wake-up call. The ‘new normal’ will see many changes in behaviour and practice, all hopefully for the better. Wet markets that deal in live and wild animals should be rapidly consigned to the dustbins of history. If there is any good to come out of this pandemic, the protection of wild animals that share our planet is definitely one of the potential benefits.
Ashis Banerjee