COVID-19 is a wake-up call on illegal wildlife trade, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Secretary Roy Cimatu echoed the view of several experts that the spread of COVID-19 should serve as a wake-up call on the need to stop illegal wildlife trade.
“The ongoing COVID-19 global outbreak should serve as a stark reminder of the dire consequence for humans of the illegal wildlife trade, which has been pushing endangered and vulnerable wildlife species toward extinction,” he said.
Cimatu renewed his call to end illegal wildlife crime amid the spread of COVID-19.
The first cases of infection were traced to the Wuhan market that was reportedly selling meat from a wide range of exotic wild animals, including camels, snakes, bats and pangolins.
Undersecretary Ernesto Adobo Jr. expressed hope that the findings pointing to pangolin as “potential” intermediate host for COVID-19 virus would sound the death knell for the commercial trade of the insect-eating mammal and all other wild animals.
“Such findings are very important, and the public must be aware of these. We should stop patronizing and buying wildlife species," he said.
"Some say wildlife crime is a victimless and second-class crime and offense, but they are wrong,” he said.