Congress Urged to Address Wildlife Issues Linked to Virus (1)

Conservation groups and wildlife advocates are asking Congress to earmark money for wildlife conservation and habitat protection in any Covid-19 stimulus package.

More than 100 groups sent a letter Tuesday noting the connections between infectious disease and wildlife policies. The groups are asking that Congress direct 1% of stimulus funds to jobs addressing habitat loss, wildlife trade, and biodiversity.

Legal experts who focus on wildlife trade have long warned that trafficking poses public health risks, facilitating the spread of zoonotic diseases—those that can move between animals and humans. The novel coronavirus is thought to have spread from a live-animal market. ...