As of March 19, 2020, the world finds itself in a pandemic of our own making. The virus,  SARS-COV2, aka "COVID-19" responsible for this outbreak is genetically linked to bats & pangolins. Amongst dozens of other species of mammals, amphibians & birds worldwide, these unfortunate animals are considered by locals as "bushmeat", an accessible food source that is easier & cheaper to obtain than farmed animal meat, such as chicken or mutton. 

It is a proven fact, however, that these animals are reservoirs of microbes, viral & bacterial, which can become naturally, by mutation, zoonotic agents, i.e.-diseases which can be transmitted from animals to humans. Because the human immune system does not recognize these novel organisms as "foreign", it does not mount an immediate typical immune response. HIV, Ebola, SARS & MERS are the most recent examples of how viruses can make the jump from animal sources to humans.  Dog meat markets, exotic open wildlife markets offering animals for consumption & traditional medicine making, are all cultural "norms" which differ vastly from many Western countries. Respect for the roots & culture of lands & populations now vie with the threat these practices present to the global population. 

I respectfully call upon ALL countries & their health agencies, as well as organizations involved in wildlife conservation & animal protection, to bring this to the United Nations as a top priority global concern for input & brainstorming from all representatives. 

The repercussions from this current pandemic will resound for years. People are recovering physically from this, but humanity may not be so fortunate with the next microbe to go global. 

Scripps Research Institute. "COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic has a natural origin." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 17 March 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200317175442.htm>