Animal origins of SARS Coronavirus: Possible links with the international trade in small carnivores

This chapter discusses the search for the wildlife reservoir of SARS-CoV. It starts by presenting the case for extending the search for the zoonotic reservoir in terms of both geographical area and the range of species investigated. It highlights regional ecological shifts associated with an illegal international wildlife trade and the growing 'bush-meat' trade, which simultaneously favours the emergence of new zoonotic infection risks to humans and poses the primary threat to biodiversity across the Indochina Hotspot. The chapter concludes with the presentation of possible solutions to this problem, including interdisciplinary collaboration with vertebrate and conservation biologists with specialist knowledge of potential host species and the wildlife trade.