Covid-19 Impacting Animals

Mar 30, 2021
3 min read

The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted many things that make up our daily lives. A big component that has been heavily influenced by the pandemic are animals. This includes the house pets that we own, wild animals, and many more. The pandemic has now reached the point where animals themselves have tested positive with covid-19, and it has arguably turned into a game of survival within the animal kingdom.

Infecting Animals

There are a few known cases regarding animals who have become infected by the virus. According to the “American Veterinary Medical Association”, one cat has tested positive in Hong Kong, despite displaying no clear symptoms and a cat in Belgium recovered nine days after falling ill. The Coronavirus is showing up slowly in animals, and yet, as of now, it has displayed no clear indication as to how animals are catching the virus itself.

One of the tigers began displaying clear symptoms, and later developed a cough. Due to the sudden sickness filling the premise and air of the zoo, the owner decided to shut down immediately, hoping to prevent further possible spread from the animals.

Cause And Effect

What is causing this outbreak to occur within animals? Jacqui Norris, a veterinary scientist at the University of Sydney in Australia reports, “These pets were living with infected human owners and the timing of the positive result demonstrates human-to-animal transfer”. This shows that animals are not the main port being infected by the virus. Many assume that since the virus came from an animal, a sort of “bat” creature, that all animals are the main contributing reason to the virus, yet many believe otherwise due to the information at hand.

At this time, there is no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading sars-cov-2, the virus that causes covid-19, to people. Based upon the limited information available at the time of writing, the risk of animals spreading the virus to people is considered to be low or close to none. Currently, the CDC is conducting more studies upon the foundations of the virus itself.

Wildlife

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread around the world at lightning speed, killing hundreds of thousands of people and infecting millions. A growing body of research, including research by Conservation International scientists, points to a direct link between the destruction of nature and disease outbreaks, spotlighting the role of protecting and restoring nature in preventing future pandemics.

Many rural areas in the tropics are facing increased pressure from land grabbing, deforestation, illegal mining and wildlife poaching. The wildlife is in danger of catching the virus and becoming infected. Many fear that the wildlife surrounding our corners will become extinct due to the virus outbreak.

How Can You Help?

It is important to stay educated on topics, such as the harsh treatment behind factory farming, so that we are aware of what is happening and can better come up with solutions that can benefit our world and society as a whole. It is also important to spread the knowledge you have gained from this topic and spread it to those unaware of the difficult times we are currently facing. As they say, spread love and knowledge and not germs.

It is time to step out of your bubble and look at different viewpoints: see where you stand, use your rights. Your voice is what matters, and what makes this world a more wise and educated place for all those around the nation.

Resources

Impact of COVID-19 on Nature. (n.d.). Retrieved December 27, 2020, from https://www.conservation.org/stories/impact-of-covid-19-on-nature

How is COVID-19 affecting animals around the world? (n.d.). Retrieved December 27, 2020, from https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-05-15/How-is-COVID-19-affecting-animals-around-the-world--QvreEAyXN6/index.html

COVID-19 and Animals. (n.d.). Retrieved December 27, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/animals.html

Covid-19 Impacting Animals

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