Instagram – June 27th, 2020

“The time is ripe to shut down wildlife markets,” says WildAid CEO Peter Knights. “It will take a concerted, global effort to end the illegal wildlife trade to protect endangered species and help prevent the next zoonotic pandemic.”⁣
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It’s been a week of good news – have a read below for more information about the latest bill to prevent the import of any wildlife that could spread diseases like COVID-19…⁣ #Repost @wildaid with @get_repost
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Exciting News!!! Last week, @senatorhenry’s Senate Bill 1175 cleared yet another hurdle on its way to the Governor’s desk when it passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee with a party-line vote of 5-1. 👏

The bill will cut off imports of any wildlife that could spread zoonotic disease like COVID-19, as well as banning the possession of several commonly hunted species from Africa.
With the outbreak of COVID-19 bringing the world’s attention to the effects of live animal markets on both the animals suffering in them and the profound human health consequences of disease transmission.

Existing California law defines “live animal markets” as a retail food market where, in the regular course of business, frogs, turtles, and non-poultry birds are stored alive and sold to consumers for the purpose of human consumption. An estimated two million bullfrogs and 300,000 turtles are either seized from their fragile natural habitats, or cruelly bred, then imported into California annually to be sold at live animal markets. ❤️ 🦁🐘🦏 ❤️ Photo Credit: @andrewwegst