Chimpanzees, Bengal tigers, wolves, wild dogs and lions are among thousands of endangered wild animals exported, sometimes in contravention of CITES regulations, often in shameful conditions. At a time when the entire globe is reeling from a deadly disease that originated in wild animals and many species face the risk of extinction, a new report […]
Tag: zoonotic diseases
Petition: Research Finds World’s Most Expensive Coffee Kopi Luwak Linked to Transmitting SARS Virus to Humans
People around the world are paying exorbitant prices — and perhaps risking their lives — for the world’s most expensive and cruel drink: cat poop coffee. While it may sound like a silly gimmick, the kopi luwak industry is a very serious business, with a single pound of coffee selling for up to $600. And […]
Albanian restaurant serves bear meat in illegal wildlife trade that’s ‘out of control’
A restaurant in Albania is offering diners meat from illegally hunted bears– part of an illicit trade in wildlife that is “out of control” in the country, investigators claim. Researchers said it was the first time they had seen bear meat cooked in Europe, and experts warned that the crude butchering of animals may lead […]
Petition: Shut Down Illegal Online Wildlife Trade!
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, China and other countries temporarily banned the wildlife trade. However, wildlife trade hasn’t actually stopped, It unfortunately just moved online. This is terrible for many reasons — it affects animals who are already endangered, still poses a risk to public health, and it’s difficult to regulate the wildlife trade online. […]
Coronavirus fears as China plans to protect vast mink and fox fur industry from backlash at wildlife trade
China is considering moves that would entrench its vast fur industry further into the country’s economy, raising worries over the spread of coronavirus among animals crowded together in small spaces. The country’s agriculture ministry is proposing to reclassify mink, raccoon dogs, silver foxes and blue foxes as domestic livestock, rather than wild animals, which they […]
Coronavirus outrage: How traders peddle ‘tiger bone, bear bile and rhino horn’ as cure
The coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 2.4 million people worldwide since the first cases were announced in early December. Medical experts across the globe are working tirelessly to develop a vaccine that can halt COVID-19 in its tracks. But in China and other southeast Asian countries there have been reports of countless crooks trying to capitalise on the deadly […]
Petition: Zoos and Aquariums Must Help Stop Zoonotic Diseases that Kill Millions of People Annually!
In Defense of Animals is calling for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to help stop zoonotic diseases at zoos. In an emailed statement, the organization urges the AZA to stop transmission between animals and humans, like the one that resulted in a Bronx Zoo tiger being affected by coronavirus. Tuberculosis is another disease […]
Malaysian authorities seize record 6 tons of African pangolin scales
Customs authorities in Malaysia have made one of their biggest ever seizures of African pangolin scales, recovering 6 tons of the contraband in a container at the country’s busiest port. Officials at Port Klang found the scales hidden beneath 63 sacks of cashew nuts on April 1. The shipment had been labeled as only containing […]