Amid the continued spread of the novel coronavirus which was initially thought to have come from wild animals, the wild animal market in Vietnam continue to sell herons, otters, reptiles, and rodents sparking worldwide fear of a new disease that could be unleashed.
At Than Hoa Bird Market, the said creatures are being slaughtered in front of the buyers and some are even cooked alive. The market stretches to almost a kilometer just by the roadside in Ho Chi Minh City.
It has been barely 11 weeks ago since COVID-19 first emerged and is thought to have started from a very similar setting in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. The market is in a very grim condition with flies just hovering over products and water dripping into the drains.
Wild animals are not just sold in the market. These are slaughtered or cooked in front of buyers.
Wilde animal trading ban
Despite the horror that the coronavirus continues to spread worldwide, hundreds of similar wild animal markets in the world including Thanh Hoa continues to run their business. Even rabid dogs are being reportedly sold in the market.
This continued trade has sparked fears that a new virus could emerge from the setting, hence, animal charities have pushed for an immediate ban on wild animal trading across the globe.
With the novel coronavirus having previously been widely accepted to have emerged from Wuhans' Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, china has already issued a ban on eating and trading wild animals in efforts to contain the outbreak.
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The said seafood market was well known to have sold bat, rats and snakes before it was shut down on the first of January. Mirror UK took photos of some of the animals that are being sold in the market. They also reported that these animals are cooked alive for customers.
However, it is revealed that in other countries like Vietnam bans are still not in place.
Hotspot for "zoonotic diseases"
According to experts, wild animal markets such as the ones Vietnam are hotspots for "zoonotic diseases." This diseases are those pathogens that thrive in animals and are transmitted to humans through contact or consumption.
Than Hoa is one of Vietnam's biggest wildlife meat markets. According to one visitor, the animals that were being sold are displayed along the street the whole day which attracted flies. He also stressed out how unhygienic the place is.
Only a month ago, birds in the locality were linked to the H5N6 outbreak which resulted in the culling of at least 23,000 chickens and sucks in 10 Vietnamese farms.
After continued pressure, the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was ordered by the government to draft a ban on wildlife markets which is to be submitted on or before April 1, just a few days ago. However, it wasn't enough for the Humane Society International who is calling for an immediate halt of the wild animal trading.
According to Mai Nguyen, of the humane organization, the existence of such markets in Thanh Hoa poses an issue in both animal cruelty and public safety. She also added that with all the animals and birds being crammed together in one place which is often filthy and unsanitary could be a public health disaster in the making and could contribute to the extinction of species.
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