BANGKOK (AP) — Thai officials say they intend to increase their efforts to curb the trade in wildlife to help reduce the risk of future pandemics. The environment minister says the government intends to make Thailand “free of the legal wildlife trade” while also combatting illegal trafficking in wild animals. He says the coronavirus pandemic shows how urgent it is to stop the supply chain of wildlife and game meat, which may harbor viruses and other pathogens that cause human illnesses like COVID-19. It is unclear, however, if authorities plan to shutter markets that still sell a variety of animal species, even in downtown Bangkok.
