Conservation groups petitioned the Biden administration today to ban U.S. imports and exports of all live birds and mammals, including for food, pets and other uses. A proactive ban would reduce the risk of future zoonotic disease outbreaks like COVID-19, which jump from wildlife to people.
The petitions are directed to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If granted, they would represent a first step for the United States to develop a proactive response to zoonotic disease outbreaks.
“Only a proactive approach like banning the live bird and mammal trade will reduce the reckless exploitation of wildlife and help keep us safe,” said Tanya Sanerib, international legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “We can’t control novel infectious diseases, but the Biden administration can act now to improve our relationship with nature, to avoid the next pandemic. COVID-19 has shown that disease origin stories are hard to unravel and vaccines take a long time to develop and administer. There are no Hollywood endings in this new pandemic era.”
To read the full article from the NRDC, please click here.