Worldwide Experts write to WHO to ban wildlife trade in ‘wet markets’
Wildlife experts and campaigners from across the world have united to try and persuade the World Health Organisation (WHO) to issue a formal statement regarding a global ban on live wildlife markets (known as wet markets), due to their threat to human health in relation to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
WHO had stated that ‘governments must rigorously enforce bans on the sale and trade of wildlife for food’.
In reply, Lion Coalition wrote – ‘We applaud WHO for stating that governments must rigorously enforce bans on the sale and trade of wildlife for food. However, in most countries such bans don’t exist. We also note that there are many ways in which wildlife is utilised, like the use of wild animals for the production of traditional medicine, that could pose a risk to human health.’
The open letter also asked WHO to assist with awareness-raising activities to inform the public of the risks of the wildlife trade to individual health and economic stability, and asked WHO to support and encourage initiatives to deliver alternative sources of protein to further reduce the risk to human health.
Joining the 339 worldwide organisations were our local Kasanka Trust, Bats Without Borders and ARC, who supported the Lion Coalition’s open letter to Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Dr Zhang Qi of WHO which was sent on 21st April 2020.
You can find out more visit on the Lion Coalition’s website.