As we ring in 2021, we leave behind a year marked by not only grief and isolation, but also hope and solidarity. The origins of the novel coronavirus awoke many Americans to the reality that standards for animals around the world are severely lacking. The lives of animals kept in unhygienic, inhumane conditions endemic to wet markets around the world are inseparably linked to billions of human lives.
Thankfully, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for people – with two major vaccines for COVID-19 already being administered. As we traverse the long road to recovery, politicians and policymakers would be wise to remember the missteps that set us on our current path.
Animal and human lives are interwoven, and it is past time that we demand a new deal for animals, people and the world we share to heal our broken social contract which governs our interaction.
Read Full Article »