- After contracting COVID-19, a scientist in India delved into data on what mammal species pose the greatest risk for future pandemics.
- Researchers found that 26.5% of mammals in the wildlife trade housed 75% of known zoonotic diseases.
- The findings present an opportunity for greater risk management by governments more closely focusing on these species.
“I had breathing problems and other symptoms, and as a result I was isolated in my room for around two months,” he told Mongabay in a Zoom call. “And around that time there was news that COVID-19 likely originated in a wildlife market, and a lot of people were blaming the wildlife trade, so this built a curiosity in me to understand this connection.”
While experts have not yet confirmed the initial source of the novel coronavirus, it is believed to have passed from an animal to a human, a process known as zoonosis, at a major wildlife market in Wuhan, China. This suspected link has drawn intense attention to the wildlife trade — both legal and illegal — over the last 18 months.
https://news-mongabay-com.cdn.amppr...nimals-host-majority-of-zoonotic-viruses/amp/