Younger generation leads the fight for wildlife protection

A volunteer introduces the bird species that may appear in the city of Xi'an to a class of primary school students in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, in April 2018. YUAN JINGZHI/FOR CHINA DAILY

CHANGSHA－In the eyes of most young Chinese, wild animals are no longer seen as delicacies, or regarded for their nutrition or as status symbols, in the same way as their elders perhaps saw them. Instead, they think that eating them is unhealthy, barbaric and even despicable.

During the prolonged stay-at-home winter break due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak in China, Zhang Zilin, a 24-year-old woman in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, felt obliged to take action.

Zhang invested a lot of her spare time in writing and editing articles on her WeChat public account, sharing her ideas about animal protection with her followers three times a week.

The intermediate host of the novel coronavirus has not been determined yet, but many experts have suggested that wild animals are the most probable source, reminiscent of the SARS outbreak in 2003.

"No one wished for an epidemic like this, but it has helped to steer the public's attention to the subject," Zhang says.

Over 30 young Chinese, all with different professional backgrounds, publish articles on her WeChat account. They try to offer varied perspectives and trigger diversified thinking among their readers.

"We can see very different opinions, even disputes from readers on the message board, which is very valuable," she says. "Seeking common ground while preserving different ideas can make all of us rethink what is a better way to get along with nature."

"Wild animals defend the balance of the ecosystem. People should be in awe of wild animals, resist illegally killing them and live in peace with them instead of feeling superior," says Wu Shibao, a professor with South China Normal University, who's also a panelist at the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and a strong advocate for upgrading the protection of pangolins to the highest level in China. According to some preliminary research, pangolins were suspected to have a connection with the coronavirus.