Beyond Your Backyard - Why Pandemics May Become More Common
By Kimberly J. Epp
We all know that there have been pandemics over the years, however most of us have not been directly impacted...that is until the "once in 100 year" pandemic known as "Covid 19" brought the world to its knees.
Today is Earth Day , and no better day to discuss how we as humans have directly contributed to how these pandemics came to be.
Deforestation drives the extinction of many species, and scientists have been warning humans for decades that future pandemics will arise from deforestation.
In the past 100 years, we have caused the extinction of half of the species on earth through deforestation, climate change, poaching, and habitat degradation. We are set to lose 1 million more species by the year 2050. The world you know now will not be the world your grandchildren will know.
"The Lorax has a famous quote I like to use on Earth Day. "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot. Nothing is going to get better. It's not." This is the quote we should all try to live by. However, we as humans are largely selfish. We are the only species that destroys our very habitat - and mother earth is warning us through worsening and more common weather events and through pandemics like the one we are currently suffering through. So, how do pandemics arise?
Bats can live 50 to 70 years, and rarely get sick, however they carry many diseases, some harmful to humans - especially if humans stress them out by disturbing their roosting or hibernation sites.
Two Little Brown Bats. These bats are one of our most common bats found in Saskatchewan. Although they carry many zoonotic viruses, they are pretty much immune to them. Their lifespan is 50 years or more. One bat can eat 600 mosquitoes in one hour (photo by Tracy Miller).
Ebola was released after it was believed that a roosting site was disturbed. The first transmission occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976. Since then, outbreaks have occurred in several African countries from time to time. Once the first human is infected, transmission of the virus from one human to another can then occur through the contact of the blood or bodily fluids of those infected.
Mouse-eared Bats in their roosting hibernation cave. The Mouse-eared Bat's heartbeat slows down to 18 beats per minute during hibernation, compared to 880 beats per minute when it is active (photo source - "The Occasional Bat")
SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) also had animal origins. It was first described in November, 2002 after inhabitants of Guangdong Province in China presented with an influenza-like illness. It's origins likely came from a Guangdong marketplace where wild Himalayan Palm Civets and Raccoon Dogs harboured viruses highly similar.
MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) is believed to have originated in bats in 2012, however humans are typically infected by camels, either during direct contact or indirectly. It's spread has been uncommon outside of hospitals, however.
HIV crossed over from chimps to humans in the 1920's in the now Democratic Republic of Congo. Chimps carrying the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) were hunted and then eaten by people living in the area.
These are just a few examples of fairly recent pandemics and viruses, and all seem to have origins in other species. Covid 19 is thought to have originated in bats sold at a wet market in Wuhan, China. If the bats were highly stressed prior to their deaths, they are more likely to shed viruses...which could mean more infected bat meat.
Domestic animals can also pass on viruses to one another when cramped and stressed. Avian Flu and Swine Flu are prime examples.
In 2020, China dug pits and buried over 2 million live pigs - not because they all had this flu, but to ensure it did not get passed on. An inhumane life followed by an inhumane death of the species considered to be the 5th most intelligent on the planet. Although both flus do not commonly infect humans, rare infections have occurred. The question is, and one which scientists are warning the world of, could Covid 19 be the dress rehearsal for future factory farm-originated pandemics?
The rising demand for affordable meat and this intensive farming practice creates the 'perfect breeding ground' for the future development of viruses that can cause pandemics.
The 1918 Spanish Flu originated in pigs. Numerous zoonotic pandemics are traced back to how humans interact with animals. A good way to avoid future pandemics would be to end cruel factory farming practices.
An area the size of a football field was destroyed every six seconds in 2019 for pastureland and intensive farming. There are 7 farm animals on earth for every person, yet many of these animals get culled and not eaten. Deforestation in the Amazon was up 9.5 per cent in 2020, the biggest increase since 2008, largely for animal farming.
As humans diminish biodiversity by cutting down more forests and building more infrastructure, they're actually increasing the risk of more pandemics. While some species go extinct, those that tend to survive and thrive (rats, bats, etc.) are more likely to host the dangerous pathogens that can jump from animals to humans. Scientists have been warning about this for decades, yet nobody has been listening.
How we can help prevent future pandemics.
Vaccine developments treat the symptoms of the disease but not the cause. We should be looking at ways to prevent future pandemics - by being proactive instead of reactive. Having either a plant-based diet or buying meat directly from local farmers can help end intensive farming. As Dr. Jane Goodall has said, "What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make."
Read more on the challenges our North American bats face here,
https://www.mjindependent.com/.../beyond-your-backyard...
Epp is an Environmental Educator and writer and is also the Past President of the Moose Jaw Nature Society. She can be reached at kepp@shaw.ca or through the MJNS Facebook page.