Wildlife trade in pictures: campaigners call for global ban

Extreme suffering: Pangolins are thought to be the most illegally traded mammal in the world and endure extreme suffering throughout every stage of the trade. Many researchers believe pangolins may have been involved in the transmission chain of coronavirus to people. Covid-19 is a wakeup call for the world and the case for a global wildlife trade ban has never been more urgent.The origins of the deadly pandemic that’s sweeping across the world are thought to originate from a wet market in Wuhan, China, where wildlife was also being sold. While the exact animal it came from is uncertain, we do know this was caused by exploiting wild animals.

A fruit bat is sold at Jatinegara market in Jakarta, Indonesia. Research suggests that Covid-19 may have originated in bats. This pandemic has created an extraordinary situation, but the circumstances about how it emerged, are not. In fact, more than 70% of emerging zoonotic infectious diseases come from wildlife. The long list of infections passed to humans by animals includes Sars, Mers, Ebola, HIV and rabies.

A macaque ‘performs’ for tourists at an attraction in Thailand. These monkeys are kept in captivity and taught tricks. The human health threat is an issue that has been magnified by the global crisis we are living in. People around the world are tragically losing lives, loved ones, jobs, and income. It’s also taking a toll on our mental health with isolation and freedom of movement restricted. People are suffering. But wild animals can no longer be the forgotten victims.

Captive civets are poached from the wild and kept in small barren cages. The Sars epidemic was thought to originate from consuming these animals, which are also kept in inhumane conditions to produce coffee. Taking animals from the wild or breeding them in captivity to be sold in markets that are unregulated, unhygienic and stressful for them, creates a lethal concoction for infectious diseases to thrive.

Macaques, bats and civets at Jatinegara market in Jakarta, Indonesia.Animals are at the centre of a cruel multibillion-dollar business that exploits them on an industrial scale. Exploited to be eaten, used in medicine, kept as exotic pets, or used as photo props as a ‘once in a lifetime’ holiday experience. They face fear and suffering, deprived of the life they’d have in the wild.

These tigers are cruelly trained, chained, abused and exposed to frequent interactions with tourists, loud noises and constant camera flashes. They are shipped around as freight, treated as mere commodities, with their wellbeing ignored.They are crammed into cages, kept in poor health, and often killed for their body parts. Make no mistake – this is a business that is inherently cruel and puts public health at risk.

This Asiatic black bear has been kept captive in a very small cage for her entire life and used for bile for medicine until the extraction was made illegal in Vietnam in 2005. Remedies including bear bile have also been recommended by the Chinese government to treat Covid-19. Animals should be left in their natural habitats. They are sentient beings capable of experiencing joy, sadness and emotional bonds. Anyone who’s seen an elephant grieving over the loss of a herd member, or a dolphin playing among their pod will know.

Otter cafes are becoming increasingly common, particularly in Japan, where visitors can interact, feed, and pet otters for a fee. These environments are wholly unsuitable for all species of otters. Pictured; An otter in captivity at a cafe in Tokyo, Japan.

The average dolphin enclosure is less than 200,000 times the size of the animal’s natural habitat range yet captive dolphins annually generate a staggering US$1.1bn to $5.5bn for the venue owners. In the wild, dolphins are free to swim up to 400km2 a day and live in large family groups. We have an opportunity to right this wrongIt isn’t just the responsibility of the world’s leaders, we all have a role to play to make better choices for wild animals.

A young macaque for sale in Jatinegara market in Jakarta, Indonesia.Wild animals don’t belong to us – they belong in the wild. This is how we will help stop future pandemics.

Nong Nooch Garden, Thailand has about 60 elephants. They are ridden, used for souvenir pictures and forced to entertain tourists by playing football, painting, riding tricycles, throwing darts and dancing.

Exotic pets are big business, fuelled by the increasing consumer demand and huge profits. Animals are being snatched from their natural habitats or bred in inhumane conditions so they can be sold as exotic pets. The African grey Parrot is among the most popular bird species kept as pets in Europe, the US and the Middle East.