1/6/2024 0 Comments The consumption![]() The third set of 2020 RECS housing characteristics tables are now available. 10.1016/j.cell.2020.03.035 (2020).Features 2020 RECS Housing Characteristics Data: 2020 RECS state-level housing characteristics tables are now available "The Tibetan Macaques at Mountain Emei are forced to lose weight" (2006). ![]() "Ten major events of China's forest tourism in 2019" (2020). "The decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China on comprehensively prohibiting the trade in illegal wild animals, eliminating the bad habit of eating wild animals, and ensuring the safety of the people's lives and health" (2020). 4 Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.Į-mail: (W. 3 Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, College of Agricultural, Life & Natural Sciences, Alabama A&M University, Normal, Alabama, 35762, USA. 2 College of Life Sciences, Leshan Normal University, Leshan 614004, Sichuan, China. Yiqiang Fu1, 2, Yong Wang3*, Zhengwang Zhang4*ġ College of Life Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610101, Sichuan, China. This work was supported by the biodiversity survey and assessment project of Ministry of Ecology and Environment of PRC (no. Close contact of wildlife through illegal artificial feeding and entertainment should be permanently banned at tourist attractions in China to prevent potential public health risks and for the wildlife welfare. Here, we strongly recommend that the use of wildlife for eco-tourism in China be strictly regulated by the government. An important lesson from COVID-19 is that human beings must reduce direct contact with wildlife (11). Many tourist attractions in China brand themselves as facilities of environmental education, which make them often escape the regulations under current legislations. ![]() There is no doubt that these commercial practices seriously infringe the animal welfare, and pose potential risks to public health. Under the umbrella of "environmental education", wildlife animals are commonly used for performance and interacting with visitors at tourist attractions in China, these animals are often not appropriately cared, and the treatment of these animals are often cruel and unethical. Artificial feeding also leads to excessive aggregations of Whooper Swans (Cygnus cygnus) and Black-headed Gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) in the Sanmenxia City Wetland Park in Henan and Dianchi National Wetland Park in Yunnan, China, respectively (8, 9), resulting in potential risks of outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza, because waterfowl and gulls are natural vectors of avian influenza virus that can infect a wide variety of birds and mammals (10). For example, overfeeding has caused the Tibetan Macaques (Macaca thibetana) at Mountain Emei, a world cultural and natural heritage site, to suffer from hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension (7). Inappropriate feeding, not only results in threats for spreading the infectious disease (6), but also injury to the wildlife. Involvement of wildlife could be benefit to both human and wildlife if such activities are appropriately conducted, but it is often not the case in China. For instance, it is a common phenomenon that monkeys are artificially introduced at many scenic sites, wildlife such as snakes, birds, monkeys, and bears are kept in captivity for tourists to interact, and artificial feeding is not monitored. For competitive advantages, tourist attractions in China often use wildlife to attract tourists. In 2019, 1.8 billion person-trips were registered for forest related tourism in China, a rise of 12.5% over the previous year, generating a social comprehensive economic output of $ 250 billion (5). The number of people participating eco-tourism related to nature and wildlife has been growing quickly in China. ![]() In the context of rapid development of eco-tourism in China, we here pointed out another loophole: the misuse of wildlife in tourism industry in China. However, a complete ban of the wildlife consumption is not sufficient to effectively protect public health from wildlife-associated diseases (4). In an effort to prevent further public health threats, the Chinese government recently passed a legislation for closing all wildlife trade markets in China and banning wildlife consumption (3). Wildlife are potential vectors of disease of relevance for human and animal health (1), including the virus that leads to current outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (2).
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