link Between Animal Exploitation & Zoonotic Outbreaks

Link Between Animal Exploitation & Zoonotic Outbreaks

Covid-19 is neither First nor Last. Most if not all the recent outbreaks are zoonotic in origin. The question is WHY & HOW ? The main cause of infectious zoonotic diseases is our growing proximity to animals due to Habitat Destruction & Animal Consumption. We are destroying forests for several reasons but one of main reasons is factory farming and animal agriculture. Globally farmers are cutting and burning forest to grow food for animals in slaughter houses. The main cause of deforestation of Amazon rainforest is cattle rearing and soyabean production to feed livestock leading to habitat destruction. Resulting in increase contact between Humans, Livestock and Wildlife which exposes us to animal pathogens. According to WHO report, Increased demand for animal protien is one of the main risk factors of zoonotic disease emergence. 

HIV transmitted from Chimpanzees. The link between HIV and animal exploitation is clear as transmission must occur through infected blood or body fluids. This points to Hunting, Butchering & Consumption of these animals.

As we can see many other cases: COVID-19 originated from Wet-markets, 1918 flu pandemic by H1N1 virus, vCJD by consuming BSE infected meat, Bird flu or Avian influenza by domestic Poultry, Nipah & Hendra virus from infected bats to horses and Also from unprotected contact to pigs, SAR via bats, Swine flue from pigs, Ebola via consumption of bushmeat ETC... 

SO in order to Reduce or Mitigate the Zoonotic outbreaks, we have to stop Animal exlpoitation which inturn is the main reason of habitat destruction and Human-Wildlife contact leading to infectious zoonotic diseases.Animal exploitation not only affects animal life but also human life. Everything is interconnected on Earth. If we continue to exploite other non-human species...It will continue to fireback.