To stamp out bush meat, teach kids first

杜绝野味从小抓起

"The meat of masked civets can be eaten and has long been considered a rare' precious meat from the mountain'," says the Animal Encyclopedia¹ for Children, a science book published by Wuhan University Press.

武汉大学出版社出版的科学书籍《儿童动物百科全书》上写道：“果子狸长期以来都被视作一种稀有的山珍，其肉可食用。”

But following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, which has been linked to the consumption of bush meat, a reader complained online that the description was improper²; the press responded by withdrawing the book from all shops.

但随着新型冠状病毒的爆发，有人认为与食用野味相关，一位读者在网上抱怨该书描述并不恰当；武汉大学出版社作出回应，已在各大书店下架该书。

The action is welcomed, as some research shows the virus came from dead bats, while others suspect it might have been transmitted from bats to pangolins and from them to humans. Whichever animal was the host, researchers are in agreement that bush meat is not safe for consumption, and that masked palm civets, which caused the severe acute respiratory syndrome³ epidemic⁴ in 2002-03, should definitely be taken off menus.

此举受到大家的欢迎，因为一些研究表明该病毒可能来自死蝙蝠，而其它研究怀疑该病毒是从蝙蝠传染到穿山甲，再传至人类的。无论该病毒的宿主是哪一种动物，研究员都一致认为，食用野味并不安全，而引发2003年非典病毒的果子狸，也不应食用。

However, a public outcry alone cannot help. The law prohibits consumption of protected species, but those not on the protected list, like masked palm civets, become sitting ducks for those who love eating wild animals. Without a law in place, one cannot stop restaurants from serving wild animal meat, even though researchers know the dangers they pose.

但是，仅靠公众的抗议是无济于事的。法律禁止食用受保护的动物，但果子狸等动物并不在法律保护的名单之列，容易成为野味爱好者的目标。没有相关法律，我们就无法阻止餐馆供应野味，即便研究员知道这样做的潜在危害。

The first step toward legislation prohibiting bush meat is to build consensus⁵. Education is essential－only when everyone realizes the dangers of eating bush meat will they give up the habit and push for legislation.

立法禁止野味的第一步应是建立共识。教育必不可少——只有当人人都意识到食用野味的危害后，他们才会放弃这一习惯，推动法律的建立。

And such awareness⁶ should begin early. Teaching children from a young age not to consume wild animals will make it easier to ensure they refrain from doing so when they grow up.

这种意识应尽早开始。拒绝野味从小孩子抓起，降低他们长大后食用野味的可能性。

The Wuhan University Press encyclopedia has been withdrawn⁷ from shops, but that is because the press is located in Wuhan. It is hoped that other press houses across the country browse⁸ through their published books and make similar corrections. Striking out consumption of bush meat in children's reading material is a good way to begin.

武汉大学出版社出版的百科全书已从各大书店下架，但这是因为该出版社位于武汉。希望全国其他出版社也能过一遍其出版的书籍并做出相应更正。杜绝儿童阅读书籍中出现“野味可食用”字眼是一个很好的开始。