Primates can also get COVID-19. This is why a group of experts has warned about the risk that mountain gorillas could run in East Africa, especially since tourists who take selfies near animals rarely wear a mask.
A study by Oxford Brookes University, which was published by the scientific journal People and Nature, examined a thousand posts on Instagram in which it can be seen that “most tourists who go hiking with gorillas get close enough to the animals without wear a mask to enable the transmission of viruses and diseases. “
In this way, the authors consider that “tourists could be spreading the virus that causes COVID-19” to these wild animals by taking selfies without the proper precautions. Last January, a group of gorillas at the San Diego Zoo tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, showing that the current pandemic may also affect great apes.
Photos of tourists visiting mountain gorillas in West Africa show that they “rarely wear masks, which carries the potential for disease transmission,” warned Magdalena Svensson, a professor of biological anthropology at Oxford Brookes University.
The expert expressed her hope that, now that people around the world are getting used to wearing masks, the use of these will become “a common practice in gorilla hiking in the future.”
This transmission risk “is very worrying”, so the study’s lead author, Gaspard Van Hamme, considers it “vital that we strengthen and enforce travel regulations to ensure that hiking with gorillas does not lead to increased threat to these already endangered great apes. “
Mountain gorillas are endemic to the East African region. They are present in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Rwanda. In recent decades they have suffered the harmful effects of human activities, but in recent years the number of specimens has started to increase and there are an estimated 1,063 individuals.
“Trekking” is an important financial support for the conservation of mountain gorillas, but the large number of visitors can affect wildlife and the environment, the study adds. The guidelines to mitigate these effects include maintaining a minimum distance of seven meters between visitors and gorillas, but the study shows “that these guidelines are not being followed or properly enforced.”
JU (efe, cnnespanol.cnn.com, larazon.es, clarin.com ,vanaguardia.com)
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Seven environmental changes that the coronavirus will cause
Better air quality
The sudden decision to stop all industrial production has markedly reduced levels of environmental pollution. Satellite images have revealed a clear drop in the figures for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution, a gas that is emitted mainly by vehicles and factories. This pollutant is responsible for poor air quality in many cities.
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Seven environmental changes that the coronavirus will cause
CO2 emissions fall
Like NO2, carbon dioxide emissions have also been reduced as a result of the crisis. When economic activity falls, so does CO2 pollution, something that had already happened during the financial crisis of 2008-2009. In China alone, emissions fell 25 percent when the country went into full quarantine. It is a fact, however, that this change is only temporary.
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Seven environmental changes that the coronavirus will cause
A new world for wildlife
Since everyone is confined to their homes, some animals have taken the opportunity to investigate. Because there are fewer vehicles, there is less chance that the little hedgehogs will be run over upon waking from hibernation. Ducks surely don’t have such a good time, and they wonder where the people who gave them bread are in the park.
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Seven environmental changes that the coronavirus will cause
Beware of wild animal trafficking
Conservationists hope the coronavirus crisis will help curb the illegal trade in wild animals, responsible for pushing several species to the brink of extinction. SARS-CoV-2 surely emerged in a market in Wuhan, China, where trafficked animals are sold both legally and illegally. An offensive against this trade may be a good consequence of this tragedy.
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Seven environmental changes that the coronavirus will cause
Clear waterways
Shortly after Italy went into quarantine, images of the crystal clear waters of Venice went around the world. The usual muddy appearance of Venetian canals is caused by the movement of boats. In addition, with cruise ships docked, our oceans experience a decrease in noise pollution, reducing the stress suffered by various marine creatures.
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Seven environmental changes that the coronavirus will cause
Increase in plastic garbage
But there is not only good news. One of the worst side effects of the crisis is the rapid increase in the use of disposable plastic, from medical equipment to disposable gloves to packaged food. Even coffee shops that are still open no longer accept reusable cups, in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus.
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Seven environmental changes that the coronavirus will cause
Nobody remembers the climate crisis
With the coronavirus taking over the world, the climate crisis has been pushed aside. But this does not make it less urgent. Experts caution that important decisions should not be postponed, even if the 2020 COP has been postponed. Given the production system, and although emissions have decreased, it is impossible for this effect to be long-term. That is why you have to act.
Author: Ineke Mules
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