Covid-19 and Animal Ecosystems

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

Saka Belantara Indonesia volunteers feed deer with carrots and vegetables in Balekambang Park, Solo, Central Java, Saturday (13/6/2020). This activity is carried out periodically to help fulfill food for animals in tourism objects that are temporarily closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Covid-19 pandemic that is occurring now can be said to be a reminder of our disruptive functional relationship with nature, especially our relationship with various animal ecosystems, both animals whose lives depend on humans and those that do not.

Basically, Covid-19 indicates the potential of animal-human contact as a primary source of zoonotic diseases. Bats are a natural host of various coronaviruses, although it is still too early to confirm the role of an intermediary host, such as pangolins or other wildlife, as a source of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19.

Read also: Boosting the Health of Humans and Animals

Primatatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall, who has long been active in wildlife conservation, said that everyone must realize that this pandemic is our fault, and that human beings must learn from our interactions with nature. If humans continue to disrespect nature and animals, a pandemic like Covid-19 might happen again.

Risk to humans

The world was shocked by the report of the first dog that tested positive for Covid-19 in Hong Kong in late February 2020. Then it was reported in Hong Kong that a second dog and a cat tested positive for the virus in March 2020. That same month, it was reported that a cat in Belgium tested positive for Covid-19. This was followed in April 2020by a report of a positive test result from a zoo in New York City, the United States. A tiger tested positive for the coronavirus after other big cats, such as lions and leopards, showed signs of respiratory distress. A zoo worker who had contracted Covid-19, but showed no symptoms, might have infected the animals.

Most of the animals above had not presented any symptoms of illness. It is very likely that the animals were exposed to the virus by their owners or other people who were in direct contact with them. This discovery raised concern, especially among pet owners and veterinarians around the world, including in Indonesia. The important question regards the extent of the risk of pets transmitting Covid-19 to humans.

The Dutch government, through its courts, destroyed more than 500,000 minks that are usually farmed for their fur, due to fears that they could be a reservoir of disease.

Further developments showed that a number of animal species, both in the wild and at laboratories, could be infected with the disease if they had persistent contact with an infected person. To date, Covid-19 infection has been found in a number of cats, dogs, ferrets under laboratory test conditions, minks at fur farms, and a small number of zoo animals. Infected minks were found at farms in the Netherlands. In some instances, the infected minks then transmitted the virus to people. This was the first recorded case of direct transmission from animals to humans. The Dutch government, through its courts, destroyed more than 500,000 minks that are usually farmed for their fur, due to fears that they could be a reservoir of disease.

Impact on ecosystems

As with other countries, those of us in Indonesia are also feeling increasingly concerned over the spread of Covid-19. The impacts of lockdowns and social restrictions have affected all aspects of human and animal life across the world. The impacts on animal ecosystems are mainly caused by the temporary closure of animal shelters, zoos, aquariums and wildlife rehabilitation centers. In many parts of the world where Covid-19 is spreading, animal shelters are experiencing drastically reduced adoption rates.

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

Karen Franken, one of the founders of the Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN) organization, feeds wild dogs and cats in the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) area, East Jakarta, Wednesday (10/6/2020).

More than 700 million people around the world visit zoos and aquariums every year, so human visitors are a permanent presence for the animals that live there. The Covid-19 pandemic has forced such venues to close their doors to the public, which has ensued in an extraordinary silent environment for the animals that live there.

Zoo closures as a response to the Covid-19 outbreak in Indonesia have also caused problems for animals and workers. Animals, as living creatures, must continue to be fed and their health maintained in a sustainable manner. Wildlife rehabilitation centers, especially those that care for orangutans and other apes, have also stopped releasing rehabilitated animals during the Covid-19 pandemic to prevent possible transmission of the virus to wild populations.

It is likewise regarding the fate of the feral dog and cat populations, especially in developing countries like Indonesia. Sterilization programs for population management and rabies vaccination programs have been postponed during the Covid-19 pandemic. This has left feral animals free to breed and reproduce, leading to unwanted increases in their populations and constraints to rabies control programs.

Direction to the future

The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) states that although some animal species can be infected with Covid-19, the infection rate is cannot trigger a pandemic and that transmission occurs primarily from humans to humans.

Experts supported by the WHO and the OIE agree that further research is needed to understand how different animals are affected by Covid-19. In the midst of the economic difficulties as a result of the pandemic, government attention is needed to strengthen laboratory infrastructure, diagnosis capacity, and integrated surveillance practices to investigate the role of animals in the Covid-19 pandemic.

It is probably an appropriate moment for us to think about the concept of a new normal that includes interspecies interaction.

One of the lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic is that maintaining the health of animal populations and harmonizing our interactions with animals and their ecosystems can reduce the risk of zoonotic disease transmission to humans. Many of us talk about how we can immediately return to normalcy after the pandemic. It is probably an appropriate moment for us to think about the concept of a new normal that includes interspecies interaction.

Although there are no specific precautions when we interact with animals during and after Covid-19, good hygiene and biosecurity measures are best applied as a general rule: from the very basic measure of washing hands with soap and water after touching animals, to cleaning and disinfecting farm machinery and equipment.

Kompas

Tri Satya Putri Naipospos-Hutabarat

All parties must treat animals properly by respecting animal welfare standards. Misleading information about the role of animals in the Covid-19 pandemic is still circulating and will continue to circulate. However, this is no justification to neglect, reject, torture, or kill animals because of concerns over Covid-19.

Tri Satya Putri Naipospos, Center for Indonesian Veterinary Analytical Studies (CIVAS)