This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.

We’re staying in our homes to stop the spread of COVID-19, but what are we doing to stop the root cause of the virus and ensuing outbreak? The initial human victims of the novel coronavirus were all connected to a wet meat market in China, where thousands of terrified animals are butchered in bloody and filthy conditions. These markets also operate in the United States, meaning this deadly outbreak could have happened anywhere. We must take immediate action to outlaw wet meat markets in the U.S. and move away from cruel concentrated animal farms, which are breeding grounds for deadly viruses and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Wet meat markets are a threat to public health, native wildlife, and cause immense animal suffering. California alone imports approximately two million non-native bullfrogs and 300,000 freshwater turtles annually for human consumption, many of whom are slaughtered in front of each other while fully conscious. Similarly, depraved and overcrowded animal farms spread a host of illnesses affecting both humans and other animals, most recently bird flu and swine flu. These deadly pathogens jump from species to species, mutate, and spread faster than we’re able to find cures, leading to the deaths of the most vulnerable among us.

The time has come to reflect on our actions and choices that have led to this pandemic. Until we stop eating animals and acknowledge that forcing them into unnatural environments is a breeding ground for deadly disease, COVID-19 will become yet another animal-borne illness that we could have prevented.

This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.