Live-animal markets, like the one in Jatinegara, Jakarta, may be breeding grounds for future pandemics. In these crowded spaces, animals such as bats, raccoon dogs, macaques, and songbirds are sold for food or pets. Stacked in cages up to three meters high, animals from across Indonesia and beyond are kept in close quarters, creating ideal conditions for viruses to spread and mutate. The air is thick with heat, humidity, and the overpowering mix of animal odors, urine, and feces. These unsanitary conditions allow viruses to jump between species — and potentially, to humans — sparking dangerous outbreaks.
Rescued Pangolin in Vietnam sparks new COVID fears over deadly virus links
According to reports, a Sunda pangolin was rescued near the Chinese border in early 2023 and is now being looked after by Save Vietnam’s Wildlife, a nonprofit organization that runs a rescue center in the park. At a veterinary clinic in Cuc Phuong National Park in Vietnam, Tran Nam Trieu gently placed the pangolin (Manis javanica) on the examination table. The pangolin was tightly curled in a ball, breathing slowly, its scaly body rising and falling. When Trieu carefully unrolled it, he revealed its soft pink belly and a missing hind leg — it had to be removed after the animal got caught in a trap.
Pangolins have become a symbol of the illegal wildlife trade, especially due to high demand for their meat and scales in China. Many people believe these parts can cure various illnesses, although there's no scientific evidence to support this.
Scientists studying pangolins seized from the illegal trade in China have found several types of coronaviruses in them. Some are very similar — about 92% — to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. While these viruses are not similar enough to be the original source, they can still cause illness in pangolins and may have the potential to infect humans.
Some of the viruses in these pangolins are also related to those that cause MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome). These viruses contain a special protein feature called a furin cleavage site, which helps them spread more easily in the lungs. SARS-CoV-2 has this same feature, which has led to debate about whether the virus was created in a lab or evolved naturally. However, many scientists believe a natural origin is more likely.
Scientists warn: Animal markets could spark the next outbreak
The world is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Nature, many researchers believe the outbreak likely started — or was at least amplified — at a market selling live animals in Wuhan, China. Yet wildlife trade continues in many parts of the world.
Public health experts have warned about the risks of diseases jumping from animals to humans in markets like Jatinegara, which are part of a global industry worth hundreds of billions of dollars. In 2020, China banned the farming and trading of most wildlife species for food, but these activities have largely gone underground.
James Wood, a veterinary epidemiologist at the University of Cambridge, says markets like Jatinegara remain “the best way of transmitting diseases.”
Scientists are increasingly focusing on human–wildlife contact points — such as markets and trade routes — to better understand zoonotic diseases, which are infections that spread from animals to humans. Several research groups are working to uncover how pathogens cross species barriers, why some of these events lead to outbreaks, and what interventions might reduce the risks. However, this kind of work is costly, sometimes dangerous, and requires long-term support, which is often hard to secure.
Wood acknowledges there is a “small possibility” that research-related activities could have triggered the pandemic.
Tracking wildlife trade and disease risk
Some scientists are studying how human behavior contributes to the spread of diseases from animals to people. In 2017, Jusuf Kalengkongan, a bat expert in Indonesia, lived with wildlife hunters in Southeast Sulawesi. He found that bat hunting is risky — hunters often get sick from bites or scratches but rarely go to hospitals. Instead, they rely on herbs or over-the-counter medicines. Locals even recalled a mysterious outbreak years ago that quickly killed many people.
In Vietnam, Hung Nguyen-Viet from the International Livestock Research Institute is studying how wild animals are traded. He explains that it's difficult research because traders fear punishment. When animals get sick, some people eat them or sell them secretly at distant markets, instead of reporting them. Many fear losing their income.
Medical anthropologist Hannah Brown warns that ignoring these fears can backfire. During the 2014–16 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, banning wild meat created mistrust. Even today, that mistrust lingers.
In Indonesia, some researchers have earned the trust of animal traders. At the Langowan market, zoologist Tiltje Ransaleleh speaks with vendors and collects samples from live bats. Her team discovered that festival periods are the most dangerous — bat sales can increase fivefold, with over 10,000 sold in a single day. This level of trading increases the risk of disease spreading.
Stanford scientist Stephen Luby emphasizes that understanding trade routes and human behavior is critical for preventing future outbreaks.
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