Canada’s Bryan Adams is a hugely successful rock icon with fans around the world. Some of those fans are upset with an expletive laden social media post he made after his performances at London’s Royal Albert Hall had to be cancelled.
Obviously very angry, the post included an acoustic rendering of one of his hits he would have played but the accompanying text read, “ Tonight was supposed to be the beginning of a tenancy of gigs at the @royalalberthall, but thanks to some (xxxx) bat eating, wet market animal selling, virus making greedy bastards, the whole world is now on hold, not to mention the thousands that have suffered or died from this virus. My message to them other than ‘thanks a (xxxx) lot’ is go vegan“
Many have called to post racist adding that coming from an international star it would only incite blame and anger at the world’s Chinese communities.
Amy Go, president of the Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice in Toronto called the social media post racist adding it could potentially incite hatred towards the Chinese community :”People look up to public figures. He is seen as an idol by many,… This is so irresponsible” (James Morrison- CBC)
At the same time as Adams rants about wet markets, the non-profit World Animal Protection has repeatedly called for an end to these markets” which sell live and butchered wild and domestic animals. They exist not just in China, but throughout Asia and in several places in Africa. Today WAP released another statement saying the current pandemic can ‘likely’ be traced to a wet market in China. and have called on G20 governments to to support a ban through a new campaign called “End the global wildlife trade. Forever.”
Calling the wild animal trade for food, traditional medicine, and exotic pets, an exploitive multi-billion dollar industry the group claims 70 per cent of emerging zoonotic infectious disease are believed to originate from wildlife. Many experts have noted for example that the pangolin is the world’s most trafficked species.
Pangolins are considered the most heavily trafficked animal in the world. These small, shy mammals suffer horrible deaths as they can be boiled alive to remove their keratin scales, which are highly valued in so-called ‘traditional medicine’. Their meat is also consumed and is considered a delicacy. Pangolins are being investigated as a possible host for the COVID-19 virus (photo- World Animal Protection)
The fund also pointed out that bears are being killed for their gallbladders and bile, and that their investigations show illegal bear bile products are being sold in Toronto and also exported to Asia.
While investigation so far indicates that the current pandemic originated in Asian bats and possibly then through pangolins before jumping to humans, the evidence is not yet conclusive.
Some of those originally infected were allegedly said to have no connection to the Wuhan wet market, although that also is not confirmed.
University of Alberta professor Tim Caulfield, who is the Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy said that while indications point to a bat as the origins, scientists still don’t know where it came form.
As to Adams angry social media post, on Tuesday morning he issued an apology to any who took offence adding he just wanted to rant about “animal cruelty in the wet-markets being the possible source of the virus, and promote veganism”.
additional information – sources
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