Civet cat killing no solution
( 2004-01-10 00:20) (China Daily)
Before SARS broke out last spring, civet cats were served up as a dish for
human beings. Now this animal faces an even more miserable fate.
Recently, authorities in the southern province of Guangdong ordered the
slaughter of all civet cats in the province to avert another outbreak of the
disease, since the latest research results show the viral genetic sequence from
the recent SARS patient in the southern province is very similar to that of the
weasel-like mammal.
And there are other wild animals that might carry the SARS virus that are on
the list for slaughter.
But is killing a good way to save human beings away from the virus?
Human beings must learn to live together with other natural species, whether
they like it or not. If people want to have a healthy relationship with nature,
they must let other species live and procreate as nature intends. Human beings
and other species must preserve a symbiotic relationship. Extinction of other
species may ultimately have a negative influence on human life.
We should think about why it is that more and more people are getting
infected with viruses from animals. The reason might be that human beings use
nature to serve their own ends, always trying to conquer and use nature, not
co-exist with it, resulting in deterioration of the environment.
Killing civet cats can be no more than a temporary solution. We should
instead be seeking ways to live harmoniously with nature.
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