Or yes, to start apologizing to the poor bats, because it seems that there is a new “culprit” of the COVID-19 pandemic. Do you know what are raccoon dogs?
I didn’t run into them either until a few years ago when we found out about them around here, but then We are going to tell you what’s up with this curious little animal y why is he the new one designated to unleash the coronavirus in the world. Well, the raccoon dogs they would only have transmitted it to humans, we were the ones who carried it around the world.
The origin of the coronavirus is still not known for sure
Well with that three years after the COVID-19 pandemic, experts from all over the world are still wondering how did it start… where did this kind of coronavirus originate, the investigations to find the answer continue. He origin of the coronavirus and the pandemic remains a mystery.
But whatever the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, what is a fact is that the city where the transmission began was Wuhan. That’s why bats have been the main culprits: for being sold in the famous wild species market of that city.
However, it is not the only species whose derivatives are traded in the Wuhan market. Los raccoon dogs too and now they could be the new target of the World Health Organization (WHO) as possible initial transmitters of COVID-19.
What are raccoon dogs and why are they pointed out as “culprits” of the COVID-19 pandemic?
Well, it turns out that European scientists, experts in viruses, revealed documents from 2020 on the discovery of genetic data of certain animals in the Wuhan market. Among them the raccoon dogsporcupines, rats and civets.
and yes some Sars-CoV-2 positive samples contained DNA or RNA from raccoon dogs, According to a report published in the journal Science. In addition to the presence of DNA, photographs of this animal being sold in the place put it in the center of their attention.
“Recently revealed data from laboratory samples taken in the market indicate a strong presence of DNA from this animal, and photos of the Huanan market in Wuhanthey prove that their meat or derived products were sold in stalls. Although this is not conclusive evidence about the intermediate or original hosts of the virus, the data show the presence of animals that could have been the source of infections in humans”
The WHO Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of New Pathogens pointed out, according to infobae
And what are raccoon dogs?
Also known as Tanuki, raccoon dogs are mammals in the Canidae family. (relatives of dogs, foxes, wolves and coyotes). Are originating from China, Vietnam, Korea and Japanand they are called that because of their enormous resemblance to a raccoon, as you can see.
Raccoon dogs are considered an invasive species., that is, they can reproduce easily and represent a threat to species native to a certain place if they proliferate in that place. Their hunting is focused on selling their skin and meat (the skin in Europe, mainly, and the meat in markets for illegal wildlife trafficking in Asia).
The debate continues, but as we said, perhaps the time has come to stop seeing bats ugly. In one of those neither came from them the transmission to humans of the virus that unleashed COVID-19.
