Pangolin are mentioned as a possible carrier of the coronavirus. China is now apparently taking action in the corona pandemic - and wants to protect the wild animals.
- Coronavirus pandemic *: pangolins are considered to be possible carriers of corona .
- In China in particular , the black market with wild animals in traditional medicine is flourishing.
- The authorities are now stopping trade in the endangered species - to protect humans from the Sars-CoV-2 * pathogen .
Munich - The coronavirus pandemic * has been accompanied by one question since it started: Where does the new lung disease Covid-19 come from ? There is still no binding answer to this in the global corona crisis .
Corona: pangolins are said to be carriers of the pathogen Sars-CoV-2
One theory says that Corona comes from the animal world. And broke out in a market in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where you can also buy wild animals.
Specifically: The endangered pangolins that look pine cone-shaped and have said sheds, carriers should the pathogen SARS-CoV-2 be.
Wildlife: more dangerous pathogens than the corona virus?
Scientists believe that there are many more and more dangerous pathogens from the animal world than the coronavirus * that could be transmitted to humans.
"To prevent such pandemics from happening in the future, the crucial lesson we learn from this pandemic is that humans need to curb their exposure to wildlife," said Edward Holmes, evolutionary virologist at the University of Sydney, MDR .
China , which is thought to be the source of the coronavirus pandemic , is now reacting rigorously. As reported by faz.net , the state forest administration first raised the protection status of pangolins - and finally the authorities removed their scales from the list of traditional Chinese medicine.
Pangolin as a corona carrier? China is cracking down
The dandruff is considered a cure in Asia and is said to help patients with malaria fever, deafness, or nervous disorders, according to the report. Science strongly doubts this, it goes on to say.
November 2017: Employees of the authorities and the local animal protection organization Save Vietnam's Wildlife prevent the smuggling of 114 pangolins pressed into a trunk to China.
© dpa
Furthermore, the meat of the pangolins in Vietnam and China is considered a delicacy. But that should now be the end. The decision was “99 percent” related to Corona , said Maria Diekmann of the “Foundation for Rare and Endangered Animals” of the AFP .
Does China serve as a role model? As the SZ writes, Germany is one of the main sales markets for wild animals from all over the world - including possible pathogens such as Sars-CoV-2 .
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* merkur.de is part of the Germany-wide Ippen-Digital editors network
