WCS developed its Field Veterinary Program—the first and largest of its kind—in 1989 in response to the growing recognition of the critical role of wildlife health in both conservation and development. The program later expanded to become the innovative WCS Health Program, working around the world on a range of threats facing wildlife, livelihoods, and human health. The program is led by Executive Director Dr. Christian Walzer.
Updates
December 3, 2020
Mongabay: Coronavirus risk grows as animals move through wildlife trade
A team of scientists, including from WCS, tested field rats for coronavirus at different points along the wildlife supply chain in Vietnam. They found that with each link in this chain, the percentage of infected animals increased by about 1.5 times.
This week, WCS and the German Federal Foreign Office co-hosted a virtual event aimed at building on the Berlin Principles and identifying how to urgently operationalize One Health.
"The global costs of neglecting nature are exorbitant," said WCS President and CEO Cristian Samper. "We can and must promote win-win solutions like the conservation of the most intact ecosystems."
WATCH: Wildlife conservation and zoonotic diseases
WCS's Sofi Mardiah, Wildlife Trade Policy Program Manager for Indonesia, presented at the ASEAN webinar, "Wildlife conservation and zoonotic diseases | Halting species loss and tackling public health in the Asean."
Among her priority actions and recommendations:
Strengthening policy and institutional framework ASEAN nations need to ensure their policy frameworks and legislation prohibit the highest risk parts of the wildlife trade where zoonotic pathogens can emerge. Our research has shown that is the commercial trade in wildlife (particularly birds and mammals) for human consumption.
Strengthen pandemic prevention through a multi-sectoral “One Health” approach Create a high-level multi-sectoral authority at the highest level of government, to oversee wildlife-livestock-human-environment issues of risk for zoonotic diseases; develop a national strategy as an umbrella to bridge the multi-sectoral work and translate it into priority areas and sub-national policy level.
Reduce consumer demand through BCC approach Identify zoonotic disease risk in wildlife markets and trade; raise public awareness of disease risks; implement behavior change interventions targeting key wildlife consumers.
COMMENTARY: A One-Health approach to this and future pandemics
"No particular country, group, discipline, or sector of society, write Niels Annen, Minister of State, German Federal Foreign Office, and WCS President and CEO Cristian Samper for Euractiv, "holds enough knowledge and resources to single-handedly prevent the emergence or spread of diseases while maintaining and improving the health and well-being of all species and ecosystems in today’s globalized world."
COMMENTARY: One Health is a necessary blend of biodiversity and human health goals
As we confront a pandemic originating with the zoonotic transmission of a virus from wildlife to humans that has devastated the global economy, writes WCS's Annie Mark for Mongabay, there is now an opportunity to combine these two areas.
“Banning the trade in live wildlife for human consumption is the first step to bring our planet back on the road to good health,” WCS's John Calvelli tells the Debi Nigro Show. “The proposed legislation is the prescription to do just that.”
WATCH: Strengthening the multilateral health architecture
The COVID-19 crisis is a reminder of the relationship between health and the environment. WCS's Sarah Olson spoke on zoonotic diseases, pandemics and the Berlin Principles at the launch of the "One Health" High-Level Expert Council.
COVID-19 has shown us the exorbitant cost of inaction. The world needs to urgently operationalize the concept of One Health. On November 17 and 18, WCS and the German Federal Foreign Officeare are co-hosting a two-day virtual event that builds on the Berlin Principles to identify how to move forward.
The world needs to urgently operationalize the concept of One Health
Global leaders in wildlife and human health are taking further active steps to ensure that governments, academia, and civil society break down barriers and form a united effort to prevent the emergence or resurgence of diseases, like COVID-19, that threaten people, wildlife, and livestock.
On November 17 and 18, WCS and the German Federal Foreign Office will jointly host a virtual meeting on how to operationalize One Health across the globe.
VICE TV: Wildlife markets help viruses pass from animals to humans
Hundreds of species of live animals stacked on top of each other in tight quarters—these markets serve as "a perfect breeding ground for new pathogens," WCS's Christian Walzer tells VICE.
The pandemic could usher in fundamental improvements in how we treat animals and the planet, writes Rachel Nuwer for Sierra Magazine. SARS-CoV-2 has given us an opportunity to self-correct through actions like closing live-wildlife markets.
"Evidence is very strong," WCS's Joe Walston tells her, "that at our darkest hour, we're actually closest to a major inflection point that would put in place the foundations for a renaissance in nature."
Bat Week and emerging zoonotic disease threats are really about us, writes WCS's Sarah Olson. If we can shift attitudes and beliefs about bats, we can begin to have more difficult conversations about how we choose to live on this planet.
A new, bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. has the potential to help reduce the risk of future zoonotic pandemics. Join the coalition speaking out in support.
Piecemeal perspectives on preventing future zoonotic pandemics just won’t cut it
Our collective and determined actions can prevent outbreaks from becoming global pandemics, writes WCS Executive Director of Health Christian Walzer in Frontiers. But we, the global community, must strive to build back better.
VICE: The next lethal disease to sweep the planet could be lurking in the Amazon
“When you shake up an ecosystem, things fall out,” says WCS Executive Director of Health Christian Walzer. “The Amazon has many of the right ingredients. There is a huge risk.”
China Dialogue: Can China take the lead in the UN biodiversity process?
The latest draft of a post-2020 framework for biodiversity lacks ambitions, says WCS's Susan Lieberman. "It ignores COVID-19 and the whole issue of wildlife markets and trade.”
What: U.S. Natural Security Campaign Event Series Who: WCS Executive Director of Health Christian Walzer and other experts When: Thursday, September 17 at 11 am ET
How can the US lower the risk of future pandemics? Experts will discuss root causes of pandemics, the science behind spillovers, and how we can prevent zoonotic diseases jumping to humans.
The risk of coronavirus spillover increases as animals travel from traders to large markets to restaurants
In a recent study, WCS's Sarah Olson and her colleagues showed that wildlife in the trade supply chain are often under stress and confined at high densities with other animals from multiple sources which likely results in increased shedding of coronaviruses. She explained in an interview with the Asia Society (about 32 minutes into the video below).
September 1, 2020
The New York Times: How to Stop the Next Pandemic
The destruction happening at the edge of forests is one area we're concerned about, says WCS's Christian Walzer, creating contact with wildlife that didn't exist before.
How WCS Canada scientists are adapting to COVID-19
Usually, at this time of year, many of WCS Canada's scientists would be deep into their field seasons, monitoring bird migrations in Yukon, tracking the movements of ancient sturgeon in Ontario, and joining with community partners to listen to whale sounds in the western Arctic. But current circumstances have required both adopting some creative solutions and simply accepting that some field work is not going to happen this summer.
COMMENTARY: How we can use the CITES wildlife trade agreement to help prevent pandemics
The best way, write WCS's Sue Lieberman and others, is to adapt CITES to address zoonotic disease risk is through an addendum to the treaty itself: additive text covering zoonotic diseases and international trade.
What’s the environmental impact of the COVID-19 crisis in Africa?
A paper in Nature Ecology and Evolution argues “that the net environmental impact of the COVID-19 crisis in Africa will be strongly negative because the crisis creates a ‘perfect storm’ of reduced funding, lower conservation capacity, and increased threats to wildlife and ecosystems. Wildlife conservation arguably faces its most serious challenge in decades.” WCS’s Uganda Country Director Simon Nampindo is among the authors.
Densely populated urban areas have garnered most of the media attention and public health response. What has been largely ignored, writes WCS's David Wilkie, is the impact of COVID-19 on Indigenous Peoples.
WCS's Sarah Olson joined a live briefing with the Global Environment Facility on its COVID-19 task force, origins and drivers of COVID-19 and other emerging zoonoses, and more.
August 4, 2020
TUNE IN: U.S. Congressional Briefing
What: Briefing with the Global Environment Facility on COVID-19 When: Wednesday, August 5, at 10 am EST Where:Live on Youtube via this link
WCS's Sarah Olson joins a live briefing with the Global Environment Facility on its COVID-19 task force, origins and drivers of COVID-19 and other emerging zoonoses, and more.
COMMENTARY: In Africa, wildlife raises the risk of deadly diseases. It doesn't have to.
We have seen the devastating impacts of diseases that spillover from wildlife, write WCS's Robert Mwinyihali, Jean Paul Kibambe, Richard Malonga and Gaspard Abitsi for CNN. "For urban families like ours, eating wildlife is not essential."
Has Vietnam banned the wildlife trade to curb the risk of future pandemics?
On July 23, the Vietnamese Government released Prime Minister’s Directive No. 29 on urgent solutions to manage wildlife. This has been largely reported in the global media as a widespread ban on wildlife trade in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Wildlife Conservation Society welcomes the Prime Minister’s Directive and the renewed attention it will bring to combating illegal trade and consumption of wildlife. However, there are a number of points that have been mis-reported in the global media and areas we think require greater attention to reduce the risks of future zoonotic pathogen outbreaks:
1) The Directive does not ‘ban the wildlife trade’; rather it calls for heightened enforcement of existing laws on illegal wildlife trade in Vietnam.
Directive No. 29 does not introduce new restrictions on the trade and consumption of wild animals to reduce the risk of zoonotic pathogen transmission, as we have seen in China. Instead, it simply re-states the need to enforce existing legislation on wildlife protection. However, the Directive requests the courts and prosecutors to impose strict penalties on those who abuse their position and authority to commit wildlife crimes. This is the first time such corruption has been acknowledged and prioritized.
This Prime Minister and earlier ones have previously issued Directives calling for enhanced enforcement efforts on illegal wildlife trade (See Prime Minister’s Directive No. 3/CT-TTG 2014; and Prime Minister’s Directive No. 28/CT-TTG 2016). Whilst these often result in a flurry of action, this invariably fades. All these Directives have been unable to address the underlying causes of weak enforcement and ineffective prosecutions against wildlife criminals – for which additional legal reform is urgently needed. The major obstacles include corruption within the criminal justice system, and insufficient resources applied to fighting wildlife crimes in terms of budgets, manpower and technical capacity (e.g. financial investigations).
2) The Directive paves the way for future legal reform on wildlife consumption.
Directive No. 29 has not banned the consumption of wildlife; rather it has requested all relevant ministries to strictly monitor and control the acts of illegal wildlife consumption and review the current legal framework to propose amendments and supplementary regulations on the illegal consumption of wildlife. This is a positive development but requires specific time-frame, guidance, and specific government agencies to lead the process, without such it could take more than a year to finalise.
3) Measures proposed in the Directive to reduce the risk of zoonotic pathogen transmission in commercial wildlife farms are insufficient.
Directive No. 29 calls for an inspection of commercial wildlife farming across the country to ensure the legal origin of captive wildlife and safe conditions for human and captive wildlife, environmental sanitation and disease prevention. This is urgently needed as commercial wildlife farms are a high-risk interface for the transmission of zoonotic pathogens, as evidenced by viral surveillance in Vietnam over the last decade that has found multiple known and novel viruses in such farms. However, the inspection must be prioritized, time-bound, involve the relevant line agencies of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and also representatives from international organizations such as FAO and WHO.
Given the significant risks that commercial wildlife farms currently pose, and the challenges of implementing effective disease prevention and and biosecurity practices, we believe an immediate temporary ban on issuing new permits for captive-raising of wild mammals and birds for commercial purposes should be put in place during the period that inspection, risk assessment and updated policies are formulated and implemented.
4) The Directive potentially weakens the existing ban on wildlife imports.
The Prime Minister issued a temporary ban on all wild animal imports on January 28th 2020 in Directive No. 5 on Prevention and Combating COVID-19. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) issued official guidance on February 6th 2020 stipulating that parts of wild animals processed into medicines, perfumes, watches and bags would be exempt from this ban. Directive No. 29 repeats the existing ban, however, adding additional exemptions. MARD should clarify as soon as possible the precise scope of these additional exemptions.
Conclusion
Whilst this Directive No. 29 is a positive development, it is not the game-changer that is being reported by some in the global media and that is urgently needed to prevent future zoonotic pathogen outbreaks such as that we are experiencing today. WCS will continue our work with partners in the Vietnamese Government, local academia and civil society, in addition to FAO and WHO representatives in Vietnam, on proposals to reform legislation to prohibit the commercial trade and consumption of wild birds and mammals, and ensure that enforcement and judicial agencies are fully mandated and resourced to enforce the law and bring wildlife criminals to justice.
July 22, 2020
TUNE IN: Wildlife trade and COVID-19
What: Presentation by WCS's Aili Kang called "Wildlife Trade and Public Health—How We Can Better Manage Risks of Zoonotic Disease" When: Monday, July 27, at 10 am EST Where: Tune in via the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin website
As part of this weekly speaking series, WCS's Aili Kang will give a thorough presentation on managing the risks of zoonotic disease and the wildlife trade.
From Mesoamerica to the Congo Basin to Southeast Asia to our zoos and aquarium in New York City, WCS is assisting however it can—with the provision of food, supplies, daily stipends, as well as personal protective equipment (PPE) and educational support to safeguard communities.
"While I have many reasons to feel pessimistic," writes WCS Colombia country director Catalina Gutiérrez, "nature itself has given me so much peace and strength during this time.”
STATEMENT: On the UN Environment Programme report on zoonotic disease
We commend the report and welcome its 10 recommendations to help stop future outbreaks. But they are not sufficient if we are truly to prevent another COVID-like pandemic.
Esquire: This is what studying the wildlife trade has taught me about the spread of disease
We've been studying the wildlife trade for more than a decade, WCS's Christian Walzer tells the magazine, and we've just learned that as you follow a rat from the field to a market and then into a restaurant, there’s an increase in coronaviruses.
COVID-19 has created many disruptions for Madagascar’s fisheries, a key piece of the economy, the AP says. “The price of fish has dropped 50-70%,” WCS's Ravaka Ranaivoson said.
Germany's Federal Environment Ministry hosted a high-level discussion on addressing the various causes of the transmission and spread of zoonoses, including pandemics. WCS's Susan Lieberman, Vice President, International Policy, was a panelist.
WCS Country Director Sangeeta Mangubhai spoke on fisheries and COVID-19 and what Fiji's response should be post pandemic.
June 26, 2020
Congressional Quarterly: Can future pandemics be prevented?
There is clear evidence that wildlife markets have contributed to zoonotic disease epidemics such as SARS, says WCS's Susan Lieberman. “Do we spend years investigating which might be the next one?" she asks. "Or do we say we can't accept any risk of this happening again? … If we stop the commercial markets where people eat wildlife, the chances of this happening again are infinitesimal.”
What: Live panel discussion hosted by Germany's Federal Environment Ministry featuring WCS's Susan Lieberman When: Monday, June 29 from 9:30-11:30 am ET Where: Tune in live at this link—https://www.bmu.de/en/livestream/
Germany's Federal Environment Ministry is committed to working with its international partners to address the various causes of the transmission and spread of zoonoses, including pandemics. WCS's Susan Lieberman, Vice President, International Policy, joins this high-level discussion to understand these better and work together to prevent these kinds of crises through internationally coordinated measures for the future.
June 24, 2020
The Independent: Risk of coronaviruses increases as wildlife moves from farms to restaurants, study finds
“It was a bit of a surprise," WCS's Sarah H. Olson tells the paper, "when I started crunching the data and saw just how significant the amplification process was.”
ABC News (Australia): WCS's Amanda Fine on how coronavirus has placed more attention on the wildlife trade
June 22, 2020
The New York Times: Wildlife trade spreads coronaviruses as animals get to markets
A study of the wildlife trade in 3 provinces in southern Vietnam, co-authored by WCS, produced startlingly clear confirmation for one of the underlying objections to the wildlife trade in Asia—the trading offers an ideal opportunity for viruses in one animal to infect another.
BBC: New evidence of virus risks from wildlife trade
"Wildlife supply chains, and the conditions the animals experience while in the supply chain," said WCS's Amanda Fine, "appear to greatly amplify the prevalence of coronaviruses."
Animals sampled in the wildlife-trade supply chain bound for human consumption had high proportions of coronaviruses and the proportion of positives significantly increased as animals traveled from traders to large markets to restaurants, says a new study co-authored by WCS.
Wildlife in the trade supply chain are often under stress and confined at high densities with other animals from multiple sources which likely results in increased shedding of coronaviruses. The authors forewarn of the potential risk of viral spillover into people through the wildlife trade.
To reduce risk, we recommend stopping all commercial trade in wildlife for human consumption (particularly of birds and mammals) and closing all such markets.
COMMENTARY: COVID-19 in Mesoamerica's Indigenous territories
Everyone’s lives have been upended by coronavirus, but perhaps nowhere have the impacts been as devastating as in Mesoamerica’s indigenous territories, writes WCS's Jeremy Radachowsky for Mongabay.
WATCH: Links Between Commercial Trade and Consumption of Wildlife and Disease Outbreaks
WCS's Susan Lieberman was a witness at this UK Parliamentary hearing, which also considered steps the United Kingdom can take to prevent future pandemics.
June 6, 2020
Associated Press: Coronavirus Disrupts Global Fight to Save Endangered Species
In Guatemala, Indigenous communities that monitor rainforests are struggling to contain one of the worst fire seasons in two decades, reports the AP, as government firefighting resources are devoted to the pandemic.
“Tropical forests are rich in biodiversity, so we’re losing rare flora and fauna,” said Jeremy Radachowsky, WCS director for Mesoamerica. “The situation is different in every country, but reduced enforcement of environmental laws is a common concern.”
What: Global Britain panel discussion featuring WCS's Aili Kang When: June 4, 4 pm BST (11 am EST)
The alteration and destruction of our planet poses a significant threat to human health. Today at 4 pm BST (11 am EST), WCS's Aili Kang joins a virtual panel discussion on this important subject. Register and check it out.
EDITORIAL: The impact on small-scale fisheries and coastal communities
In a new piece for the journal Coastal Management, conservationists, including from WCS, document the effects the pandemic is having on this sector around the world.
"Negative consequences to date have included
complete shut-downs of some fisheries," they write, "knock-on economic effects
from market disruptions, increased health risks for fishers, processors
and communities, additional implications for marginalized groups,
exacerbated vulnerabilities to other social and environmental stressors, and increased Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing."
COMMENTARY: CITES is not the answer to preventing another pandemic
WCS's Susan Lieberman argues the only way to truly prevent something is to eliminate the root cause. In the case of zoonotic pandemics, she writes for Scientific American, we must put an end to the commercial trade in wildlife for human consumption (with exceptions for Indigenous Peoples and local communities that are dependent on wildlife consumption for their food security or cultural expression).
Ecological degradation not only increases the overall risk of zoonotic disease outbreaks originating from wildlife, but it also has complex effects, feedback loops, and some notable
negative impacts on many other aspects of human health.
Preventing epidemics by monitoring wildlife mortality
The Wildlife Health Programme raises awareness among communities in northern Congo and has set up an early warning system for unexplained wildlife deaths that covers over 30,000 km.
REUTERS: China legislators take on wildlife trade, but traditional medicine likely to be exempt
As China’s parliament prepares new laws to ban the trade and consumption of wildlife, local action plans published this week suggest the country’s fur trade and lucrative traditional medicine sectors will continue as usual.
“It will be important for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) experts, wildlife conservation experts, and relevant authorities to take a look at TCM-related laws and regulations to make sure they are consistent,” said WCS's Aili Kang.
Tackling poaching and the international trade in wildlife for consumption has to be part of a global effort to address the threat of zoonotic pandemics, says WCS's Joe Walston.
AUDUBON: COVID-19 halted Arctic Refuge bird research
“And it’s particularly critical right now, given the rate at which development and deregulation are happening,” says WCS avian ecologist Rebecca McGuire.
An update from WCS Congo and Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park
May 19, 2020
COMMENTARY: How global coral reef conservation is adapting to COVID-19
"Every single day I ask myself," writes WCS's Emily Darling for PBS Nature, "how the work we do as scientists and conservationists can help communities in this time of crisis and change."
CANADIAN GEOGRAPHIC: The future for wildlife post-COVID-19
“So far," said WCS Canada's Justina Ray, "there's really nothing that we can see at this point that would change the equation for the largest threat to species, which is cumulative habitat loss and degradation.”
WEBINAR: Rethinking our relationship with wildlife and wild places
Christian Walzer, Executive Director of WCS's Health Program, will join the Conservation Biology Institute and the Society for Conservation GIS (SCGIS) on Thursday at 10 a.m. PT.
For WCS's Jonathan Slaght spring was typically the end point of his yearly work studying Blakiston's fish owls, the world's largest owls, in Russia. "The thaw made river ice unsafe to walk or drive on," he writes in Scientific American, "and the sun’s renewed warmth softened the frozen mud of forest roads, making them impassable."
Not this year, though. This year, as COVID-19 tightened its grip on the planet, it became clear the expedition would leave him behind.
While the COVID-19 pandemic continues around the world, threats to Western lowland gorillas and other endangered species are surging: Poaching, mining, and deforestation have all ramped up in the midst of this crisis.
WCS has the largest anti-wildlife trafficking presence globally, with teams on the ground in nearly 30 countries. By making a gift today, you’ll be protecting the endangered species we can’t bear to lose, through this crisis and beyond. Donate by midnight and have your donation matched.
Christian Walzer of WCS's Health Programs and Pat Thomas of the Bronx Zoo participated in a discussion hosted by The Habitats Trust and Central Zoo Authority, India.
May 8, 2020
Call for a one health research coalition
In The Lancet, WCS's Christian Walzer and others emphasize that the health of our planet hinges on the symbiotic relationship between humans, animals and the environment. They call for an inclusive and transparent COVID-19 One Health Research Coalition to strengthen linkages with the evolving climate change and planetary health research community.
Dialogue on international cooperation to prevent the next pandemic
Across 25 high-risk viral families, there
are estimated to be 1.7 million unknown
viruses, WCS's Christian Walzer reported in his presentation during the Pace University School of Law event. About 700,000 of them likely have the
potential to infect humans.
Earlier this week, WCS's Susan Lieberman, Vice President, International Policy, joined the FIU Tropical Conservation Institute discussion on wildlife trade policy, including the scope of current regulations, the human component, and the future of wildlife trade.
May 6, 2020
Ethical Corporation: Human health is dependent on protecting the health of the planet
Aili Kang, Asia program director at WCS, estimates that China’s ban will cover more than 2,000 species, and she’s optimistic that it will be permanently implemented.
Redaccion: ¿Podemos evitar una próxima pandemia? Nuestro vínculo con la naturaleza tiene la respuesta
To prevent the next zoonotic pandemic, we must look to our relationship with nature. Spanish language publication Redaccion spoke with WCS's Martin Mendez.
TRT World: Coronavirus, a warning shot from nature?
Mankind’s encroachment on the habitats of wild animals could lead to more zoonotic pandemics. WCS's Christian Walzer joins a discussion on Turkish television.
This young Guatemalan black howler monkey has lost its home. With forest rangers sheltering due to the COVID-19 crisis, fires raged uncontrolled across Mesoamerica on Earth Day last week, including in northern Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve, which WCS has worked to conserve for more than two decades. This infant monkey was discovered there in the ashes, in the community forests of San Miguel la Palotada.
The young monkey’s mother could not be found, so the baby was sent by CONAP (Guatemala National Council of Protected Areas) to the ARCAS Wildlife Rescue Center in Peten, and will require care and some growth prior to being returned to the wild.
The fires in Mesoamerica bring into focus the intersecting crises of the pandemic, climate change, and biodiversity loss. The blazes, exacerbated by drought, have released massive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere—contributing further to the climate crisis while threatening innumerable wildlife species like the young howler. What we increasingly know: the degradation of nature across the globe is driving catastrophic threats to our very survival.
Bloomberg: As lawmakers push global wildlife market ban, U.S. issues remain
John Calvelli, spokesman for the Wildlife Conservation Society, said conservation is one of the few issues that can get bipartisan support in Congress today.
“One of the great things that conservation has is that it has been able to bring the Lindsey Grahams and the Nancy Pelosis together,” he said.
Axios: Coronavirus is tied to climate and biodiversity crises
If we fail to recognize the connection, we are likely to see more difficult-to-tackle diseases jump from animals to humans, WCS's Joe Walston said in an interview. "But I believe that the world is realizing now," said Walston, "that these are environmental problems, that they are going to happen again unless we take action."
OPINION: Preventing pandemics, global warming and environmental degradation all at once
One commonality lies at the core of the current massive global challenges: the destructive relationship between humanity and the natural world, write WCS's James Watson, Lauren Oakes and Sarah Olson for CNN.
For the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, 30-plus WCS staff around the globe, including WCS President and CEO Cristian Samper, recorded messages of hope in a time of crises.
Mongabay: How to prevent the next COVID-19? Conservationists weigh in.
As the death toll from COVID-19 crosses 140,000 and cases surpass the 2 million mark there are growing calls for a permanent ban on trade in wild animals for human consumption.
Los Angeles Review of Books: Coronavirus and conservation
According to Chris Walzer, Director of Global Health at the Wildlife Conservation Society, Amazonian creatures can be presumed to harbor just as many viruses as African and Asian animals that gave us Ebola, SARS, and COVID-19.
OPINION: China is closing its wildlife markets. Let’s make it permanent.
"The Chinese government is now leading the global community with these new regulations," WCS Regional Director Colin Poole writes for PBS Nature. "However, the real challenge lies in implementation—not today, but in years to come when a vaccine is widely available and the fear of Covid-19 is fading from memory."
COVID-19 is a disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Although COVID-positive people
can infect tigers and lions in zoos by close contact involved with caring for them, cats are not easily
infected, and SARS-CoV-2 is not known to occur in any population of any wild cat species in nature.
It is extremely unlikely that wild cats can transmit the virus that causes COVID-19 to humans
Quarantining also means caring for our great ape relatives
Gorillas and other great apes are particularly susceptible to pathogens from humans, and the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 poses a very serious risk to their survival. Protecting our closest wild relatives and closing wildlife markets for human consumption are both critical steps towards ensuring healthy futures for all, writes Elizabeth L. Bennett for IUCN.
Read Christian Walzer's full testimony from the Congressional caucus briefing
Walzer, the Executive Director of WCS's Health Programs, spoke before the bipartisan leadership of the International Conservation Caucus on wildlife trafficking, the origins of COVID-19, and preventing future pandemics.
In a single deliberate poisoning event, 3 giant ibis, equivalent to 1-2% of the global population, have been killed—part of a disturbing global trend where conservationists are noticing increases in hunting of protected species since the spread of coronavirus began to disrupt traditional economic and social systems in rural areas.
TUNE IN: Virtual briefing featuring WCS's Christian Walzer
We can prevent future pandemics by stopping all commercial trade in wildlife. Tune in tomorrow at 3 p.m. ET as WCS’s Dr. Christian Walzer speaks on this at a virtual hearing featuring the bipartisan leadership of the International Conservation Caucus. It's presented by The ICCF Group.
Mongabay: Chinese ban on eating wild animals likely to become law
WCS's Aili Kang speaks about the ongoing review of wildlife legislation in China in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, which would permanently ban the consumption of wild animals.
The New York Times: Poachers kill more rhinos as coronavirus halts tourism to Africa
“These animals are not just protected by rangers, they’re also protected by tourist presence,” said Tim Davenport, who directs species conservation programs for Africa at WCS. “If you’re a poacher, you’re not going to go to a place where there are lots of tourists, you’re going to go to a place where there are very few of them.”
NBC Today Show: Bronx Zoo tiger tests positive. Could you get coronavirus from your pets?
April 7, 2020
World Health Day: We need to rethink our relationship with wild animals and wild places
Just as we created the conditions that led to the current pandemic, writes WCS's Christian Walzer for Ensia, we can create the conditions to minimize future risk.
Better environmental management required for One Health
Habitat destruction, wildlife trafficking, poaching. All are increasing our exposure to both known and novel pathogens, writes WCS's Stacy Jupiter on Medium.
The New York Times: A tiger is slightly sick with coronavirus. Your cat is probably ok.
Nadia, a Malayan tiger, is doing well, according to Dr. Paul Calle, the Bronx Zoo’s chief veterinarian. So are three other tigers and three lions that show the same symptoms. And, he said, neither Nadia’s infection nor early scientific reports from China of infections among domestic cats should make cat owners fear for their pets, or fear that the cats may pass the virus to humans.
“None of them actually ever acted terribly sick,” Dr. Calle said of the zoo’s infected cats.
Bronx Zoo statement on tiger that tested positive for COVID-19
We tested the cat out of an abundance of caution and will ensure any knowledge we gain about COVID-19 will contribute to the world’s continuing understanding of this novel coronavirus.
BBC: Putting the spotlight on the global wildlife trade
Conservation experts say the coronavirus pandemic, which likely originated at a market selling wild animals in China, is a watershed moment for curbing the global wildlife trade, which can drive extinction and spread disease.
One of the many disconcerting aspects of the current moment, writes WCS's Eric Sanderson, is how blithely unaware the rest of nature seems to be about the crisis gripping humanity.
VIDEO: What must the world do now to prevent the next zoonotic pandemic?
WCS's Dr. Christian Walzer and Dr. Aili Kang and Dr. Russell Mittermeier of Global Wildlife Conservation spoke to reporters this morning about the crisis.
April 2, 2020
Update from WCS Congo
April 2, 2020
Voice of America: COVID-19 Infections Approach 900,000
WCS's Paul Elkan speaks about the world's most trafficked animal. "One hears about ivory being stored in containers and moved in large quantities," says Elkan. "But over the years we've found tons of pangolin scales being stockpiled and attempted to be trafficked."
What must the world do now to prevent next zoonotic pandemic?
At a tele news conference this morning, experts from WCS and Global Wildlife Conservation answered this question. You can get the highlights on our WCS Newsroom Twitter feed.
April 1, 2020
WCS's Bronx Zoo serving as staging ground
April 1, 2020
LiveScience: The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced us to a new word: zoonoses
"Spillover" events, when diseases jump from wild animal hosts to human populations, are a significant and growing threat to global health, global economies, and global security, writes WCS's Dr. Christian Walzer. Analyses of their trends suggest that their frequency and economic impact are on the rise.
Euractiv: The ‘super year for biodiversity’ undermined by a wildlife market?
Conservationists have been working for many years to try and get European Union leaders and policy-makers to pay attention and take action to tackle the biodiversity crisis, writes WCS's Janice Weatherley-Singh. This year felt as if it might be the year, but this new political action on biodiversity is now being curtailed by COVID-19.
Metrofocus: What is the link between COVID-19 and animals?
What's changed in recent years is our level of interconnectedness, says WCS's Dr. Christian Walzer. A virus spillover event can now spread over the globe in a matter of months.
STATEMENT: WCS issues policy on reducing risk of future zoonotic pandemics
To prevent future major viral outbreaks such as the COVID-19 outbreak, impacting human health, well-being, economies, and security on a global scale, WCS recommends stopping all commercial trade in wildlife for human consumption (particularly of birds and mammals) and closing all such markets.
U.S. News: New York City’s new normal as it weathers a pandemic
"Many of our activities of course have slowed down in the field around the globe," WCS's Dr. Christian Walzer tells the magazine. But "I've probably never had as much work as I've had now," particularly as he examines the impact of coronavirus worldwide.
Sierra: China could end the global trade in wildlife
“What China is doing is very, very encouraging, in that they’re potentially taking a lead globally on policy to prevent future outbreaks,” says Scott Roberton, director of counter-wildlife trafficking for WCS’s Asia program. “This isn’t about conservation; it’s about public health.”
New York Magazine: The Bronx Zoo has been preparing for the impacts of COVID-19 for weeks
“Our staff have a sense of dedication and responsibility for the animals," says Bronx Zoo Director and Wildlife Conservation Society Executive Vice President Jim Breheny.
Scientific American: How do we prevent the next outbreak?
Our planning needs to take account of the complex interconnections among species, ecosystems and human society, write Nicholas A. Robinson and WCS's Dr. Christian Walzer.
Food & Environment Reporting Network: Can Asia’s Infectious Disease-Producing Wildlife Trade Be Stopped?
"It’s a numbers game,” says WCS's Dr. Christian Walzer of wild animal markets. "You’re providing a lot of opportunities for human-animal interface, with a high diversity of species with unknown viruses mixing with each other.”
"Chinese people don’t want to touch any wild animal food at the moment," adds Dr. Aili Kang, "so the traders have no market."
The Veterinary Services of Hong Kong reported on two dogs that showed presence of the COVID-19 virus after sharing a common living space and contact with their owners who were positive for COVID-19.
However, there is no evidence that companion animals, such as dogs and cats, can spread COVID-19 to people or other animals. There is also no evidence that they become sick from this virus.
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"Some 60% of emerging infectious diseases that are reported globally are zoonoses," report WCS's Amanda Fine and Aili Kang, "and of the more than 30 new human pathogens detected in the last three decades, 75% have originated in animals."
"The Wildlife Conservation Society is dedicated to carrying on with our important work—thanks to your steadfast support," says WCS President and CEO Cristián Samper. "Our community is strong, and we will get through this together."
Guessing we could all use a bit of zen right now. We posted a video of gentoo penguins returning to shore along the coast of South America. Post your own with #WildlifeZen and help us spread some good cheer.
March 16, 2020
Emerging Zoonoses and the Risk Posed by Wildlife Markets
"Facing such a vast, unknown and unpredictable universe of zoonotic agents," write WCS's Amanda Fine and Aili Kang on Medium, "we firmly believe that limiting the chances of contact between human and wild animals is the most effective way to reduce the risk of emergence of new zoonotic diseases."
Seeker: Did Coronavirus come from bats? Here’s what we know.
"Bats have a unique adaptation of their immune system," WCS's Dr. Christian Walzer said, "which allows them to harbor viruses without these viruses causing any diseases."
March 16, 2020
Stop the Trade
In order to prevent future pandemics, our message to policymakers is clear: stop the trade in wild animals. In particularly, the highest risk taxa, mammals and birds.
You can download and share this graphic. It's available in multiple languages.
Temporary Closure of WCS's Four Zoos and Aquarium in New York City Beginning Monday, March 16, 2020
The Wildlife Conservation Society is temporarily closing the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Queens Zoo and New York Aquarium, effective Monday, March 16. Our five parks will be closed and education and public programs will be cancelled until further notice.
This action is being taken as city and state leaders have called on businesses to voluntarily close to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19; and following declarations of states of emergency in the United States, New York State, and New York City.
Mongabay: Conservationists Set Record Straight on COVID-19's Wildlife Links
“It’s just a numbers game,” WCS's Dr. Christian Walzer said of markets that trade in wildlife. “If you just put enough species together and allow them to share viruses and then put a lot of people in contact with the animals and their parts, then you just invariably will have a virus that can enter a human cell and replicate and, in rarer occasions, transmit from human to human.”
STATEMENT: Viet Nam prime minister proposes a ban on trade and consumption of wildlife
“We commend Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc for his leadership in taking this important first step. We hope this directive will stipulate the required actions to remove high-risk interfaces along the wildlife trade supply chain where viruses can emerge by putting in place measures to prohibit the trade, consumption, breeding and keeping of wild animals whether wild caught or captive bred in Viet Nam.”
“We strongly support Viet Nam in taking all necessary steps to prevent future zoonotic pathogen transmissions that could lead to future outbreaks similar to COVID-19 harming livelihoods and economies around the world.”
On Twitter, we addressed some of the major wildlife-related myths out there about COVID-19.
March 2, 2020
Reminder of The Berlin Principles – A One Health approach — Issued on Oct. 22, 2019
As the world focuses on the zoonotic COVID-19 outbreak, we are bringing focus back to the Oct. 22, 2019, release of The Berlin Principles, which are an urgent call to governments, academia, and civil society that all sectors need to break down barriers to ensure a united effort to prevent the emergence or resurgence of diseases that threaten humans, wildlife, and livestock.
The Berlin Principles were developed and issued at the "One Planet, One Health, One Future" conference organized by the Wildlife Conservation Society and the German Federal Foreign Office. The conference included the top minds from around the globe addressing how human development and interference on nature are generating threats affecting all life on Earth.
The New York Times: China ban big but traffickers may exploit loopholes, conservationists say
Photo Credit:iStock.com//hphimagelibrary
Dr. Christian Walzer, WCS’s chief global veterinarian, said China's new ban “is a big step in the right direction.” The ban goes to the “root cause” of the COVID-19 outbreak, he said which he and most other scientists view as human harvesting of wild animals.
“But there is a huge trade in wildlife that is not related to consumption.”
February 26, 2020
STATEMENT: A critical and positive step but other forms of trade should be added
“WCS welcomes this critical and positive step that reflects the Chinese central government’s commitment for not only solving the COVID-19 outbreak but in preventing future risks through legislative reform and improved enforcement and management.
“There is no such risk-free trade and consumption of any wild mammals and birds whether they are wild-caught or farmed. WCS believes that only by prohibiting the live trade in all wild birds and mammals can the risk of future viral emergences be prevented, and thus other forms of trade should also be included in this ban.
“In addition, this creates a potential loophole for traffickers who may exploit the non-food exemptions to sell or trade live wildlife, creating additional challenges to law enforcement officers.”
STATEMENT: WCS applauds China for revising and strengthening wildlife protection laws
“Preventing future zoonotic outbreaks is not about targeting one species—like pangolins, bats and snakes—but taking strong actions to ban wet markets trading in wildlife and broadly strengthening wildlife laws and regulations," said WCS's Dr. Christian Walzer. "We applaud The National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China for declaring on Monday that it is revising wildlife protection laws, in order to strengthen the fight to end indiscriminate hunting and consumption of wild animals."
What is the Wildlife Conservation Society's main message concerning the COVID-19 coronavirus?
As Dr. Walzer states in the video above, WCS is asking China and others governments to close live animal markets that trade in wild animals—whether these animals come from the wild or whether they are farmed-wildlife. There are three clear steps we are advocating for to prevent the spread of similar zoonotic diseases: close live animal markets that sell wildlife; strengthen efforts to combat trafficking of wild animals within countries and across borders; and work to change dangerous wildlife consumption behaviors, especially in cities.
Won’t closing these markets hurt the poor?
No. Wildlife populations are being depleted as they are poached and hunted. Viral outbreaks lead to mass culling of domestic animals, which increases the cost of basic animal protein, hitting the poor the hardest.
Why do we suspect the COVID-19 coronavirus is a spill-over from animals to humans?
Scientists from the Chinese Centre for Disease Control have confirmed a live animal market teeming with a multitude of wildlife species as the origin of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Dr. Zhong Nanshan, director of the China State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, who became famous for leading the fight against SARS 17 years ago, pinpointed on Chinese state television the likely source of the new coronavirus as wildlife. Environmental samples from the Wuhan market have been linked to wildlife.
Why are these live animal markets that sell animals for food such a problem?
It is hard to design more perfect conditions for new viruses to emerge than market systems such as that in Wuhan: Tightly pack together a variety of species from around the country or the world and transport them long distances directly into large markets. Ensure that these massively stressed and immuno-compromised wild animals are in close proximity to domestic and farmed animals. Then distribute these animals out to major urban populations for consumption.
What action has the Chinese government taken about these markets with this outbreak?
The Chinese government is to be applauded for acting quickly, as three government agencies took the first step, announcing a nationwide ban prohibiting all wild animal trading activities with immediate effect. This includes not only wet markets, but supermarkets restaurants and e-commerce platforms. The announcement also stated that “any violation of the provisions of this announcement shall be investigated and dealt with severely in accordance with the law and regulations”. However, this is not enough, as the ban currently only covers the period until “the epidemic situation is lifted nationwide”. It must be permanent.
Is it a common occurrence for viruses to be transmitted from animals to humans?
The resulting re-assortment and exchange of viral components between species at live animal markets is a major source of new viruses. These can be zoonotic, i.e., transmitted from animals to humans (e.g., Avian Influenza, SARS, MERS), and subsequently successfully mutate so that they can transmit between humans, creating the conditions for a rapid global pandemic.
Are there markets like this outside of China?
Similar markets occur in cities across other Asian countries and if these persist, and human consumption of wildlife goes on, then we will continue to face heightened risks from emerging new viruses, potentially more lethal.
What do the people in China and Chinese media think about closing these markets?
A large and growing number of people in China support closing these markets. On Chinese social media, support for the issue has been among the highest trending topics on Weibo (China’s most popular microblog site) over the last week, with the hashtag “#The Source of the New Coronavirus is Wild Animals” viewed 1.2 billion times. The hashtag "#National Wildlife Trading Is Banned Until the Epidemic is Over” has amassed 400 million views over 24 hours since it was announced, and the view of Chinese netizens is clear: “It should be permanently banned. Do you want to have another epidemic?,” “Reject wild meat, ban forever and punish offenders severely,” “It is for the sake of human life, health, safety, and maintenance of natural harmony that wildlife trading activities should be permanently banned from now on.”
Not only that. State media and academics agree. The China Daily recently headlined, “It’s Time to Permanently Ban Wildlife Trade” and Sina News, “It’s Time to Ban Wild Animal Trading.” While a group of senior Chinese academics, including the former president of Peking University and Dr. Shi Zhengli of Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academic of Science (who is one of the scientists who identified bats as the original carrier of SARs), have publicly called on China’s National People’s Congress to end the illegal trade and consumption of wild animals by issuing emergency legislation integrating public health and safety concerns into the wildlife protection law.
Where can I read more about the spill-over from animals to humans in connection to the COVID-19 coronavirus?
STATEMENT: Chinese ban on wildlife markets needs to be permanent
“The Chinese government’s announcement today to temporarily ban the sale of wildlife in markets, restaurants and over e-commerce needs to be permanent," said WCS's Dr. Christian Walzer. "We congratulate the government for taking this important first step."
“The banning of such sales will help end the possibility of future outbreaks of zoonotic diseases, such as the COVID-19 coronavirus. We learned this lesson with the outbreak of another zoonotic disease, SARS, in 2002. The pattern will keep repeating itself until we ban, not only in China, but in other countries, the sale of wildlife, specifically for food and in food markets."
Wild animal markets must be banned worldwide, say experts in and outside China, warning that the sale of sometimes endangered species for human consumption is the cause both of the new coronavirus outbreak and other past epidemics.
The Huanan seafood market in Wuhan, which has been closed down as the source of the infection, had a wild animal section, where live and slaughtered species were on sale. An inventory list at the Da Zhong domestic and wild animals shop inside the market includes live wolf pups, golden cicadas, scorpions, bamboo rats, squirrels, foxes, civets, hedgehogs (probably porcupines), salamanders, turtles and crocodiles. In addition, it offered assorted parts of some animals, such as crocodile tail, belly, tongue and intestines.
January 22, 2020
STATEMENT: Close live animal markets that trade in wildlife
“Governments must recognize the global public health threats of zoonotic diseases," said WCS's Dr. Christian Walzer. "It is time to close live animal markets that trade in wildlife, strengthen efforts to combat trafficking of wild animals, and work to change dangerous wildlife consumption behaviors, especially in cities. It is essential to invest resources not only into discovering new viruses but more importantly in determining the epidemiological drivers of zoonotic spillover, amplification, and spread of infectious diseases."
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