The novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) has already made a number of people sick. Where did the virus come from? Scientists say it probably came from bats.
Bats can carry and transmit (传播) more than 60 viruses that can infect (传染) humans, Live Science noted. They include the world's deadliest viruses, such as Ebola and HIV. Because of their strong immune systems (免疫系统), bats are able to host these viruses and not get sick. At the same time, the viruses keep developing inside the bats to create new variants (变体). These variants can then infect new hosts, such as other wild animals.
Pangolins (穿山甲), for example, might be an intermediate host (中间宿主) for NCP, according to a recent study by Chinese scientists. This means that bats might have given the virus to pangolins, with pangolins then spreading it to humans.
Wild animals like snakes, hedgehogs (刺猬) and bamboo rats also carry different virus. But since they live in the wild, there should be little chance for humans to come into contact with them and get infected - unless the animals are eaten or used to make animal products. When people hunt, buy and eat wild animals, they can introduce viruses to the rest of the population.
But this doesn't mean that we should kill wild animals. Each species has a role in the ecosystem (生态系统) and all of them are important in keeping a natural ecological balance. The lesson we can learn from disease outbreaks is to protect animals and to live in harmony with them instead of hunting, killing, or eating them.
