Leonardo DiCaprio Asks 46M Followers To Support ‘Preventing Future Pandemics’ Act
The actor has voiced his support for the new bill, which includes bans on live animal markets and the trade of wildlife for human consumption.
DiCaprio with environmental activist Greta Thunberg last year. Credit: Leonardo DiCaprio/Facebook
Closing down wildlife markets and stopping the trade in wildlife for human consumption are the main aims for a new bipartisan bill that seeks to prevent future pandemics caused by the controversial wildlife trade.
The legislation was introduced in the Senate last month by Cory Booker (D-NJ) and John Cornyn (R-TX) and the House by Reps. Mike Quigley (D-IL) and Fred Upton (R-MI).
Now, support for the Preventing Future Pandemics Act 2020 is gathering more and more momentum, with Academy Award-winning actor Leonardo DiCiaprio the latest to voice their approval for the bill.
Writing on Instagram to his nearly-47 million followers, the keen environmentalist said:
“If you care about preventing the next pandemic, please ask your Senator to cosponsor Senate Bill S. 4749, the “Preventing Future Pandemics Act,” introduced by @corybooker and @johncornyn, so that we can reduce the risk of a pandemic like COVID happening again.”
COVID-19 is just the latest zoonotic disease of wildlife origin, and joins the likes of SARS, Ebola, and HIV/AIDS, which also jumped to humans from animals via close proximity or human consumption.
Scientists and wildlife experts have called on action to tackle the wildlife trade which is said to be an ideal breeding ground for the next pandemic.
As a result, the Preventing Future Pandemics Act 2020 aims to:
Prohibit the import, export and sale of live wildlife in the United States for purposes of human consumption as food or medicine.
Shut down commercial wildlife markets, end the trade in wildlife for human consumption, and build international coalitions to reduce the demand for wildlife as food.
Work on reducing demand for consumption of wildlife from wildlife markets and support shifts to diversified alternative sources of food and protein in communities that rely upon the consumption of wildlife for food security.
Hire 50 new U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Law Enforcement Attachés in an effort to disrupt illegal wildlife trafficking abroad.
“The simple fact is that through continued consumption of wildlife and the persistence of the unsanitary conditions at wildlife markets, the emergence of the next zoonotic pandemic is a matter of when, not if”, explains supporter Rep. Quigley.
“Close contact between humans and wild animals, and especially human consumption, is a threat to global health. As climate change and encroaching development drive people and wildlife closer together, it is imperative that we stop thinking of conservation and public health as separate issues”.
If you want to show your support for wildlife, you can urge Congress to pass the Preventing Future Pandemics Act 2020 via World Animal Protection’s Take Action page here.
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The footage was reportedly recorded at Marshall BioResources in North Rose, New York, where up to 22,000 dogs - mostly beagles - are being bred for animal experimentation.