Urge the USDA to end live animal markets
Stop pandemics where they start. Live animal markets place the public in grave danger, and result in immense cruelty to animals.
Most infectious diseases can be traced back to animals, including COVID-19. The original reservoir for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for causing COVID-19, is likely bat in origin. SARS-CoV-2 may have found a secondary host (e.g. pangolins) before mutating to a human host. The large live animal markets in China provide a perfect breeding ground for a pandemic. So do the livestock auctions and live animal markets of the United States.
Now is the time to put an end to live animal markets. Add your name to the growing list of concerned citizens who want to stop pandemics where they start.
Auctions confine animals from different farms in overcrowded pens, sometimes for days. Healthy animals are housed with sick ones. The dead may be left for hours or days before removal from a pen.
In the United States, live animal markets sell a variety of species for slaughter, either onsite or privately. Studies show that employees at these markets often test positive for viruses that originate in animals. In one Minnesota study, 65% of employees at two live animal markets tested positive for influenza of swine origin.
Sign our petition today and demand an end to live animal markets in the United States.
