新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情肆虐，不断上升的感染病例数量让人恐慌。与此同时，科学家竭尽全力，展开了对病毒源头的追踪。 近日，科学家指出，蝙蝠可能是冠状病毒的自然宿主。此外，研究发现，从穿山甲身上分离出来的病毒，其基因序列与当前新冠肺炎患者身上的病毒相似度高达99%。也就是说，此次疫情的爆发，极有可能是作为中间宿主的穿山甲，将病毒从蝙蝠带给了人类。 Bats are widely believed to be carriers of the latest strain of the disease. A genetic analysis showed that the strain of the virus currently spreading among humans was 96 percent identical to that found in bats, Rhinolophus sinicus to be more specific. A group of researchers from South China Agricultural University and Lingnan Guangdong Laboratory of Modern Agriculture found that the genome sequences of viruses in pangolins to be 99 percent identical to those in coronavirus patients. 自然宿主为蝙蝠的病毒，绝非仅有此一例。从埃博拉，到同属于冠状病毒的SARS、MERS病毒，均被认为以蝙蝠为自然宿主，经果子狸、骆驼等中间宿主，传染给人类。蝙蝠的独特免疫系统让它们成为了众多病毒的理想宿主。 It's not the first time diseases jump from animals to humans, and spread among humans. Major known diseases such as SARS, MERS, Ebola, HIV and many strains of flu are zoonotic diseases – those that spread from animals to humans. Zoonotic diseases account for a large share of human infectious illnesses. 病毒宿主的发现，对于疫情研究无疑是一项重要科学成果，但肆虐的病毒对人类社会造成的巨大伤痛，应该给公众敲响警钟。 近年来，绝大多数新发传染病都源自野生动物，随着环境的不断变化，问题在进一步加剧。 病毒虽来源于野生动物，但是人类把它带到了自己身边。不管是人类对野生动物栖息地的侵扰与破坏，还是对野生动物的肆意捕杀和食用，都给病毒的传播创造了条件。 在中国，贩卖野生动物一直屡禁不止。 食用野生动物的传统由来已久，对“野味”的偏爱或为尝鲜，或为药用。被赋予特殊价值的野生动物沦为盘中餐，甚至遭遇灭绝的威胁。 According to trade records from the CITES Trade Database and managed by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Center, China's import records of endangered wild animals had been increasing before reaching a peak in 2015. The top imported species involve sturgeon, snake, and ivory, and the main exporters are Italy, France, South Africa, Indonesia, and the U.S.Many wild animals are imported and exported illegally as food, medicine, trophies, and pets. 尽管现行野生动物保护法明确禁止猎捕、杀害国家重点保护野生动物，禁止出售、购买、利用国家重点保护野生动物及其制品。但是，包括蝙蝠、鼠类、鸦类等约1000种陆生脊椎野生动物未列入野生动物保护管理范围。 为有效阻断传播源，防范新型冠状病毒感染的肺炎疫情的进一步扩散，国家市场监管总局、农业农村部、国家林业和草原局联合发布公告要求，即日起至全国疫情解除期间，禁止野生动物交易活动，以斩断病毒的传染源和传播途径。 Since this outbreak, thousands of Chinese people called for a permanent wildlife trade ban on social media. The outbreak may become a key point for future wildlife management. 2003年，非典在中国爆发，短短数月造成近8000人感染，近千人死亡，我们因为滥食野生动物，已经受到一次深刻的教训。 The trauma from the 2003 SARS outbreak lingers in the memory of Chinese people. After 17 years, the trace of the new epidemic still points to the trade and consumption of wild animals. It is hard not to blame the penchant for wildlife products. 17年过去，我们对它至今未能完全了解，又打响了新的疫情战役。不断攀升的伤亡数字在时刻提醒着我们，人类究竟还需要付出多大的代价才能记住，最好与大自然共存的方式，就是与野生动物保持距离。 离它们远一点，再远一点。