Help CLOSE Live Animal Markets in California

UPDATE:  Your spcaLA joined 37 other national and international animal and humane welfare organizations to urge California Governor Gavin Newsom and State Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris to ban the sale and importation of wildlife and non-native species for human consumption in the state.

Last week, spcaLA joined 68 members of the United States Congress in calling on the Director Generals of the World Health Organization and other global organizations to take aggressive actions for a global shut down of live wildlife markets.  In California, industries exploiting and trafficking wildlife as commodities for live food markets pose just as much a threat to public health and safety as do other wildlife farms and markets around the world.

As a member of PawPAC, a statewide committee that advocates for all nonhumans and their environment, to encourage transparency in the California State Legislature, spcaLA has engaged with California policy makers since 1993 on live food market issues in the state regarding the humane treatment of animals and the basis of health. Among other things, selling wild animals for consumption, creates higher potential for zoonotic disease transmission. It is believed that the 2003 SARS outbreak originated in this manner and may be the source of COVID-19.

Members of the public are urged to contact their U.S. Representatives and Senators and demand that action be taken. These practices are not only inhumane but are a threat to the safety and well-being of the community.

It seems that behind every pandemic there is a live animal market origin story. I bet many of you didn't know these markets, popular in Asia and in the news now, are alive and well in California, and, yes, in New York.

These markets are places where animals, including but not limited to, poultry, livestock, bats, pangolins, turtles and frogs, are held alive, often in crowded conditions, slaughtered and sold to customers all in the same spaces. These spaces are virtual petri dishes of viruses which travel from species to species, (including humans), all around the world thereby exposing unsuspecting populations to new germs and diseases. So one theory of the origin of the corona virus was that it was pangolins that passed the virus from bats to humans. But, specifically, what is the origin story behind COVID-19, a kind of corona virus.

This short and to the point video on CNN, entitled "Virus Hunters", (about 7 minutes long) discusses this problem.

Your spcaLA is working with experts, legislators and others to try and shut these markets down in California and New York for the health of humankind. Of course there are animal cruelty issues involved, (your spcaLA was instrumental in securing legislation dealing with that a decade ago), and basic public health issues around slaughter and food chain concerns, but, today, as we are in the throes of a global pandemic, these markets need to finally close for the benefit of all of us.

The U.S. Congress is also working on a bipartisan bill to close these markets. But, there are also bills being introduced in California and New York which will probably resolve faster and spark a national trend.

Stay tuned for ways you can help.

Tiger in Bronx Zoo Tests Positive for Covid-19

courtesy wikimedia commons

A tiger at the Bronx zoo tested positive for Covid-19. It is believed that one of the zookeepers transmitted the disease to the tiger. It is also being reported that the zookeeper was an asymptomatic carrier. Do not freak out. It is not a secret that animals can become infected with some human diseases. The issue is that there is no indication that a cat or dog can infect humans with Covid-19. The dog or cat, even if becoming infected appears to be a dead-end host.

Zoos all over are putting protocols in place, most of which echo those that your spcaLA has been sharing with you all along to keep yourselves and our pets safe. Additionally, spcaLA has been collaborating with veterinarians, infectious disease experts and representatives from around the world to share vital information and current best practices with our constituents and other shelter professionals.



It bears repeating here:

Guidance for Pet Owners

Pets are members of the family, and just like human family members, spcaLA urges pet owners to protect pets. If dog parks are still open in your area, spcaLA urges pet parents to avoid them.

• Maintain good hygiene practices by washing hands thoroughly with soap and water after touching pets, in keeping with CDC guidelines.
• Do not allow your dogs to play with other dogs or meet people during daily walks. Keep a six-foot distance between your dog and others, just as you would with other people.
• Curb your dog’s interest in sniffing excrement of other animals, or picking up refuse on the ground.
• Before you come inside from a walk, wipe your dog’s paws with a sudsy solution of pet shampoo and water. When finished, discard the wipe and thoroughly rinse your pet’s paws with water to remove soap residue. If you have them available, you may consider having your dog wear shoes, socks, or booties outdoors.
• Keep your cats and other pets safely indoors. If you are unable to confine your cat, follow the wipe down procedures indicated above.
• Do not use Lysol wipes, bleach, or other harsh chemicals on your pets. Ask your veterinarian for additional safe options to clean your pet’s paws.

Guidance for Animal Care Facilities

• Protect your staff and volunteers. Determine and implement your shelter’s intake procedures, which should apply to returning fosters and other clients, as well as stray and surrendered pets.
• Protect the community. Determine and implement your shelter’s procedures prior to placing animals in adoption, foster, or returning them to their owners.
• Pet boarding and daycare facilities, many of whom are open and caring for the pets of medical, grocery, sanitation, food delivery, and other essential workers, should take care to develop and implement intake and return procedures.
• Protocols for incoming and outgoing animals may include bathing (paying special attention to the areas most frequently petted by people), a period of isolation, and other actions. Further consideration should be made as to PPE for staff and procedures to accept or return animals to the public while maintaining safe social distance.

We will continue to monitor the science and refer you to reputable sites for information . Please see the Center for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization, American Veterinary Medical Association, and World Organization for Animal Health.

Please stay safe!