DEAR READERS: Our fear-based attitude toward viruses and bacteria is based on our lack of appreciation for how micro-organisms function and help sustain our world. Parts of them are in our DNA and vital cellular content, and without them in our guts, we would die in a few days. They also can play an environmentally beneficial role in optimizing ecological biodiversity and reducing dysbiosis.

When epidemics and pandemics break out, there is always some ecological component and carrier agent, coupled with a lack of immunity in humans and/or other species who succumb to infection. Those species and individuals who do not succumb, and may show no symptoms, can still transmit infection to others. Of those who perish, some are killed by the primary infective agent, while others die from a secondary, often bacterial infection or -- in the case of wild animals -- become easy prey for a predator.

The disease caused by this new coronavirus has been named “coronavirus disease 2019,” abbreviated “COVID-19.” It is in the same “family” of viruses as the one that causes SARS, both having their origins in bats.

Live-caught bats for sale for human consumption in one of China’s open animal markets are the most likely source. However, other species may be involved, such as the highly trafficked pangolins, whose meat and scales are prized in Chinese folk medicine, along with the various parts of other wild animals, from rhino horns to tiger bones.

Bats, a sentinel species of ecosystem health and guardian of tropical forests, are the main carriers of these kinds of viruses, including Ebola, to which they are immune. So are most of the indigenous species who have co-evolved and co-inhabited their domains for generations of selection and survival. When people and their farmed animals encroach on these domains of the wild, they succumb to these so-called zoonotic diseases: The classic example of such human encroachment is sleeping sickness in Africa, which has affected millions of people and their livestock ever since humans began invading the domain of disease-resistant wildlife. But there has been no global spread because a fly is needed to transmit the disease, and tsetse flies do not engage in international travel or trade. With COVID-19, there is no such intermediary host-vector; it can be passed directly from human to human.

There will always be new diseases like COVID-19 emerging, and potential pandemics, so long as wildlife poaching, international animal trade and illegal trafficking continue, along with ever-increasing human population growth and habitat encroachment. All countries should be severely sanctioned economically for engaging in wildlife trafficking and for having open markets selling wild-caught animals.

Pandemics of swine and avian influenzas generally originate from open Asian markets and slaughtering in rural and poor communities, where centralized processing and cold storage facilities are not available. COVID-19 may be more highly transmissible than most influenza viruses, with its rates of morbidity and mortality yet to be determined. Individuals and communities alike can become immunocompromised in many ways. These include exposure to microparticle air pollution; telecommunication radiation; endemic nutritional deficiencies; environmental contaminants in water and seafood (such as mercury, fluorides and aluminum); and agricultural chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Richer countries like the U.S., where pork and poultry are dietary staples, pay the environmental and public health costs of these zoonotic diseases, with antibiotic-resistant strains of E. coli, salmonella and other bacteria becoming an escalating problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s report “Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2019,” more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur in the U.S. each year, and more than 35,000 people die as a result.

The number of live pigs, goats, cows and sheep transported worldwide in 2017 was 30% higher than in 2007, according to the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization. International trade in these animals, dead and alive, should be curtailed as a public health service and for national security.

As for concerns about our companion animals, the American Veterinary Medical Association sent the following to vets last month: “Multiple international health organizations have indicated that pets and other domestic animals are not considered at risk for contracting COVID-19 or transmitting the virus that causes the disease.” But I would caution that the virus could mutate in the future, with a new form potentially being passed on to domestic animals.

If we fail to address issues of animal trade and trafficking and habitat encroachment, rich and poor alike will be subject to the indiscriminate justice of natural law until we all abide in greater harmony with other species and with each other. Alternatively, as the natural controls of biodiversity deteriorate, plagues and pestilences of biblical proportions will be the legacy of our collective failure in planetary stewardship, which surviving generations will inherit.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR DR. FOX: I greatly appreciate all the stands you take (on current events). It’s too serious for us not to speak up! Thank you! -- J.B., Tulsa, Oklahoma

DEAR DR. FOX: Please keep writing about anything that concerns you, including politics. I am extremely concerned about the destruction of our environment. -- P.A., Claremore, Oklahoma

DEAR J.B. and P.A.: Thanks for your encouraging support.

Many who live in denial would sooner kill the messenger, and continue to rationalize harmful activities and products, rather than assume responsibility for the health and viability of planet Earth.

The existential challenges we face as a species to either evolve or perish are indeed of a deeply spiritual nature. By spiritual, I mean how we define ourselves: our purpose, ethics, empathy and compassion. Practical and effective solutions will not be forthcoming without these qualities in the public, political and corporate arenas.

I take the stand of an “apocalyptarian” -- a term used in a derogatory fashion by some, akin to “doomsday prophets.” On the contrary, in this case, “apocalypse” refers to the tearing of the veil that separates us from Life and Spirit, so that we can see the consequences of our actions and begin to live in closer accord with the Golden Rule.

I receive daily reports, like the one below, from around the world on issues that can make one feel depressed and hopeless. Indeed, where there is no vision, the people will perish. But where there is life, there is hope, and above all, our survival instincts can motivate us, collectively, to either evolve or perish. We are learning that all of life is interdependent. It is enlightened self-interest to give all species equal and fair consideration, and not put ourselves first without regard for “the least of these,” as per my book “Animals and Nature First.”

JAPANESE FISHERY COLLAPSE CONFIRMS ‘SILENT SPRING’ PESTICIDE PROPHECY

Common neonicotinoid pesticides have been found to starve fish “astoundingly fast” by killing aquatic insects, according to scientists investigating the collapse of fisheries in Japan. They say similar effects have likely taken place elsewhere. (The Guardian, Oct. 31)

From The Guardian:

“The long-term study showed an immediate plunge in insect and plankton numbers in a large lake after the introduction of neonicotinoid pesticides to rice paddies. This was rapidly followed by the collapse of smelt and eel populations, which had been stable for decades but which rely on the tiny creatures for food.

“The analysis shows a strong correlation, but cannot prove a causal link between the insecticides and the collapse. However, independent scientists said other possibilities had been ruled out and that the work provided ‘compelling evidence.’ ...

“Neonicotinoids’ harm to bees is well known, but previous studies in Europe have linked neonicotinoids to die-offs in other freshwater species, including mayflies, dragonflies and snails, and also to falling populations of

farmland birds that feed on insects, including starlings and swallows. The insecticide has also been shown to make migrating songbirds lose their way.”

In their report, the Japanese researchers said: “The ecological and economic impact of neonicotinoids on the inland waters of Japan confirms (Rachel) Carson’s ‘Silent Spring’ prophecy.”

IVORY TRAFFICKERS FIND HOT MARKET FOR PANGOLIN SCALES

Demand has risen for the scales of endangered pangolins (scaly anteaters) for use in traditional Asian medicine, and trade has increased despite an international trade ban.

International criminal networks that illegally trade African elephant ivory have found a lucrative market in pangolin scales, with Nigeria emerging as a global export hub and Vietnam surpassing China as the largest source of demand, according to a report from the Wildlife Justice Commission.

Some virologists suspect the COVID-19 outbreak could have come from pangolins, and possibly bats, sold for human consumption in Wuhan, China. Such cross-species transfers of disease can be seen as nature’s retributive justice, and in reality are a warning to us all to stop encroaching on what is left of wildlife habitat and indigenous species. This is a call not only for better quarantine and disease monitoring in the U.S. and other countries, but for more rigorous policing and prosecution of illegal wildlife poachers and traders.

Also, an end to legal wildlife trade and international traffic, especially for the “exotic” pet trade, is long overdue. All traffic, legal and illegal, should be prohibited, except for legitimate conservation purposes. Countries should be subject to economic sanctions for engaging in these practices -- as should Brazil and surrounding countries, for destroying the Amazon forest, which is of such critical importance for climate health.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR READERS: The British Veterinary Association, British Veterinary Zoological Society and British Small Animal Veterinary Association are campaigning to educate rabbit owners on the proper care of these animals. Rabbits are the third most popular pets in the U.K., and they are also rising in popularity in the U.S.

According to a 2019 report from British veterinary charity PDSA, 49% of rabbits in the U.K. live alone with no companionship. Since rabbits are highly social animals, these experts advise keeping at least two together -- either of the same sex, or neutered if of different sexes -- in large enclosures, and also including quality hay in their diets.

Companionship is extremely important for the health and welfare of pet rabbits. Traditionally, rabbits are prey animals that live in colonies in the wild for “safety in numbers.” This social instinct is still present in pet rabbits today. Evidence shows that pet rabbits greatly benefit from living with other pet rabbits, with companionship having a positive effect on their health, behavior, emotional well-being and regulation of body temperature.

I have long considered keeping lone rabbits in cages or hutches a hidden cruelty -- one that veterinary associations around the world, along with people who keep rabbits as pets, need to address. For more details, visit www.bva.co.uk/rabbit-housing.

DEAR DR. FOX: I respectfully disagree with your opinion that all coyote hunts are problematic and cruel, and should be banned.

When I was growing up on our farm in central Illinois, we did not have a problem with coyotes. However, the coyote population throughout Illinois has exploded. We used to have a fairly large outdoor cat population on the farm, but the coyotes have killed them all. They have also killed all the rabbits.

When I visit the farm now, I hear coyotes howling right outside the front of the house. When I walk my small dog at night, I keep her on a short leash and use a flashlight.

The problem is that there are no predators for the coyotes, so the population keeps expanding. My sister lives in a large suburb of Chicago called Arlington Heights, and she sees coyotes in broad daylight in her backyard and on the street. Hers is a highly populated residential area. Small dogs confined to backyards have been killed by coyotes.

Coyote pelts are worthless, so there is no incentive for hunters to kill them. I am an animal lover, but we have too many coyotes (and deer), so I am totally in favor of them being hunted to control further population growth. I care more about the safety of people’s pets than I do about coyotes. -- D.R., Lincoln, Nebraska

DEAR D.R.: I sympathize with your concerns, but do not agree with the killing of coyotes, since this does not help regulate their numbers.

Ironically, killing in one area will mean more coyote cubs being born in nearby areas, since there is then more food available for their mothers. They then subsequently recolonize those areas of temporary extermination.

State and federal agents have used traps, snares, denning, fishhooks, dogs, cyanide guns and poison bait for decades, but the coyotes have continued to colonize region after region, state after state.

You are witnessing evolution: These predators are adapting to conditions we humans have made favorable for them and their prey, including free-roaming cats (who should be indoors) and unattended dogs. Coyotes will also kill white-tailed deer fawns, the overabundance of which we humans have created for the hunting industry and by the virtual extermination of the wolf. Through competitive exclusion, wolf packs once limited the spread of coyotes.

For more details, read Dan Flores’ book, “Coyote America.” And for ways to avoid coyote conflicts and establish a more harmonious coexistence -- which will benefit us, since coyotes also consume small rodents that harbor Lyme and other tick-borne diseases -- visit projectcoyote.org.

DEFORESTATION SETS STAGE FOR ZOONOSES, PANDEMICS

Deforestation, whether deliberate or accidental, brings wild animals into closer contact with humans, where the animals can transmit zoonotic diseases (infectious diseases that spread from animals to humans), potentially setting the stage for a pandemic.

“The more we degrade and clear forest habitats, the more likely it is that we’re going to find ourselves in these situations where epidemics of infectious diseases occur,” said disease ecologist Andy MacDonald. (National Geographic, Nov. 22, 2019)

AVMA CONDEMNS DONKEY TRADE

The AVMA and the World Veterinary Association have condemned the global donkey trade, in which the animals are sold and slaughtered, sometimes cruelly, for hides or to make donkey-hide gelatin for ejiao, a traditional Chinese medicine.

A recent report by the Donkey Sanctuary linked the trade to criminal networks, abuse, biosecurity threats and economic burdens on families whose donkeys are stolen.

Read the full story at scientificamerican.com.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)