HÀ NỘI — The NGO Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) has released a short film calling on people not to consume wildlife to prevent the risk of disease outbreaks in the future.

In the short film entitled COVID 19: Don’t Consume Wildlife to Protect the Health of Yourself And the Community, ENV emphasises that wildlife consumption poses dangers to individuals, families, community and the world.

It is part of the campaign 'Don’t Consume Wildlife to Protect Your Health And Of the Community'.

The campaign's message is being shared on more than 2,000 LCD screens of elevators in residential and office buildings in major cities across the country.

A monkey being illegally caged in the southern province of Đồng Nai. — Photo courtesy of ENV

According to the World Organisation for Animal Health, about 70 per cent of dangerous diseases for humans originated from wildlife. The coronavirus in wildlife has been constantly modified and become more dangerous before causing disease in humans.

Nearly a decade ago, the SARS outbreak came from a new type of betacoronavirus derived from bats and transmitted to humans through civets as intermediate hosts. Presently, the world is struggling against the COVID-19 pandemic, which is also thought to be derived from wildlife.

Lessons from previous pandemics show that new viruses will continue to develop and spread from wildlife to humans if trading, consumption, contact and use of wildlife products continue.

ENV also noted that although Việt Nam’s Government and citizens are properly controlling and monitoring the sources of infection of the COVID-19 pandemic, the consequences for countries around the world are still extremely serious.

Therefore, to prevent future pandemics, ENV calls on each person not to consume wildlife and wildlife products in any form.

People can call free hotline 1800-1522 if they see the illegal advertisement, transportation, trading or storage of wildlife. — VNS