Government fights wildlife trade to cut pandemic risks

摘要

Thailand is ramping up efforts to curb trade in wildlife to help reduce the risk of future pandemics, officials saidyesterday, though it was unclear whether that would mean an end to all such sales in the wildlife trafficking hub.The government intends to make Thailand "free of the legal wildlife trade" while also combating illegal traffickingin wild animals, Natural Resources and the Environment Minister Warawut Silpa-archa said yesterday.Speaking in pre-recorded addresses, Silpa-archa and other officials said the pandemic has raised the urgency ofshutting down the supply chain of wildlife and game meat that may harbor pathogens that cause COVID-19,Ebola and other illnesses in people.