Ricky Gervais Calls For A Shutdown Of ‘Wet Markets' To Avoid Future Pandemics

Comedian and actor Ricky Gervais is calling for closing the wet markets around the world. 

Ricky Gervais made the comments after the Sunday Mirror published exclusive images of bats, snakes and dogs dumped on the street for sale in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. The footage shows that wet markets in Asia continued to operate despite the coronavirus pandemic.

He said: “For the sake of people and animals, wildlife trade and consumption has to end, now.”

Talking directly to politicians he added: “How bad does this have to get before you close down Indonesia’s extreme animal markets that pose the exact same risk as the wildlife wet markets in Wuhan, China?”

Ricky, who is also a vivid animal rights activist, warned: “We can’t carry on exploiting animals, eating wildlife and trashing the planet. The wildlife trade and markets have to close, otherwise it will be a case of when, and not if, we have another global pandemic.”

In a live stream video on his Twitter account, he warned about the risks posed by wet markets and explained that COVID-19 might not be the last pandemic if we don’t enforce stricter measures.

He said: “This will happen again. The wet markets are already opening in China and other parts. They are already getting back to it. This comes from animals, like all the other things, MERS and SARS… it comes from animals and f***ing eating things you shouldn’t. I don’t know what to do. What can I do? I’m annoyed at sunbathers so if I saw a wet market, I don’t know what I’d f***ing do.”

Scientists believe that coronavirus originated on a wet market in Wuhan where animals were kept and slaughtered for meat. 

The Chinese government closed the Wuhan market on January 1. In the meantime, two cities in China have banned consumption and trade of dog and cat meat. 

The trade of wild animals is still allowed in many Asian countries.