{"id":21057,"date":"2020-06-19T23:30:18","date_gmt":"2020-06-19T23:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=21057"},"modified":"2020-06-21T17:32:03","modified_gmt":"2020-06-21T17:32:03","slug":"python-skin-jackets-and-elephant-leather-boots-how-wealthy-western-nations-help-drive-the-global-wildlife-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/python-skin-jackets-and-elephant-leather-boots-how-wealthy-western-nations-help-drive-the-global-wildlife-trade\/","title":{"rendered":"Python skin jackets and elephant leather boots: How wealthy Western nations help drive the global wildlife trade"},"content":{"rendered":"

Maria Ivanova<\/a>, University of Massachusetts Boston<\/a><\/em> and Candace Famiglietti<\/a>, University of Massachusetts Boston<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Three-quarters of new and emerging infectious diseases in humans originate in wildlife<\/a>. COVID-19, SARS and Ebola all started this way. The COVID-19 global pandemic has drawn new attention to how people think about wild animals, consume them and interact with them, and how those interactions can affect public health.<\/p>\n

Any activity that puts people in close proximity to disease-prone animals is risky, including wildlife trade and the destruction of natural habitats<\/a>. In response to the current pandemic, China<\/a> and Vietnam<\/a> have instituted bans on wildlife consumption. Global leaders<\/a> and U.S. policymakers<\/a> are calling for a ban on wildlife markets worldwide.<\/p>\n

We study global environmental governance<\/a> and human security. As we see it, banning the wildlife trade without action to reduce consumer demand would likely drive it underground<\/a>. And curbing that demand requires recognizing that much of it comes from wealthy nations.<\/p>\n