The ABC of Pandemic: Animals, Bats and Coronavirus
ABC: Animals, Bats and Corona Virus Lord Matt Ridley’s report in my words This much we know that an animal was the source of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the current novel coronavirus). However, was it a bat or a pangolin (a scaly anteater) or perhaps both? It’s not clear. As I sat down to read the paper this past weekend, an article in the Wall Street Journal caught my eye. I thought to share it with my friends. So here it is a report by Lord Matt Ridl ey —in my words. But before I do that, let me share what I have learnt so far about bats. There are about 1,300 species of bats in the world. Some are tiny, as tiny as a bumble bee, while others such as fruit bats can weigh up to 4 pounds and flying foxes have a wingspan of 5 feet. Bats are mammals and can live up to 30 years. Some live solitary lives while others live in colonies of more than a million. Bats have been the source of most of the dangerous new diseases of the past two decades. The natural reservoir of rab...