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This is a great thread and something I've been thinking about a lot. Discussion about novel virus emergence often implicates an obvious culprit (wildlife trade, research labs), but historically this isn't really correct. Emergence is often a case of unfortunate coincidence. https://twitter.com/wormmaps/status/1266006499995848704
As Dr. Carlson points out, Ebola emergence is not linked to the global wildlife trade. In cases where Ebola has emerged due to wildlife being traded, it's usually from people hunting animals to eat or sell locally, not international endangered species smuggling.
Even more troubling, this need to assign blame for pathogen emergence gets really racist really fast. Why is wild game hunted in Africa referred to as "bush meat" rather than wild game? Why don't we refer to venison from deer or elk in North America as "bush meat"?
Discussion about "wet markets" usually ignores that there are live animal markets all over the world. There are >70 legal live animal markets in NYC, often with cultural importance (such as kosher/halal meat). Should these be reflexively shuttered? https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2020/05/14/new-york-wet-markets-linda-rosenthal-bill/
Asian and African wet markets are often portrayed as dirty places and eating meat from some animals (ahem, bats) is seen as barbaric or disgusting. Is factory farming any less dirty, barbaric, disgusting, or dangerous? (Check out Big Chicken by @marynmck) https://www.npr.org/transcripts/561584723
Furthermore, why is it differentially barbaric to eat a turtle, alligator, snake, javelina, nutria, or some other less commonly consumed game animal hunted in the US than it is to eat it in Africa or Asia? It's not unusual for people to eat meat that's available locally.
People around the world rely on local game as an affordable, available protein source. It's true that contact with wildlife can result in zoonotic spillover of emerging viruses, but there are LOTS of other ways besides hunting and consuming wild game for that contact to happen.
As Dr. Carlson points out, a hypothesis for the emergence of Ebola virus in West Africa has no connection with wildlife trading or consumption: a child was playing near a tree in his village where bats were roosting.
Ever had a raccoon eating from your garbage can? Mice living in your attic? Have you ever gone for a walk and seen a fox or a deer or a snake or a frog on the path? How about a bird chirping outside your window? We encounter wildlife all the time.
With regard to #SARSCoV2 specifically, people seem to want to assign responsibility to either the lab or the Huanan seafood market, but they ignore the fact that bats who normally live all over China carry coronaviruses, and people are likely to encounter them often.
People also move around more than animals do. It's completely plausible that someone living in China could have encountered a bat or some other animal species that carried the direct ancestor of #SARSCoV2, with the virus making its way to Wuhan IN PEOPLE who traveled there.
Many, many other emergent zoonotic viruses have spilled over into the human population without connection to the wildlife trade. There are many circumstances in which humans and wild animals interface, creating opportunities for spillover.
We diminish own ability to understand #SARSCoV2 origins and will fail to prepare for the next emergent novel pathogen by focusing so single-mindedly on specific circumstances, especially when those are so tied up in pre-existing biases and racist assumptions about other cultures.
Also, I cringe when I hear scientists say things like "shut them all down." Broad bans of wet markets or hunting deprives entire populations of people of an important source of food and income. We can't reduce risk to global health by creating nutritional and economic crises.
So, yes, focus on ending harmful wildlife trading practices for reasons based on ecology and conservation. But let's not say that we need to because it is a risk for pandemic viruses. There are other risks too and we ignore them at our own peril.
