<s>[INST] An opinion editorial by a a zoologist and animal welfare advocate, Dr. Jane Thompson, entitled, " Catastrophes Waiting To Happen: Lethal Animal Imports into the US"

The recent reports of mass primate imports from the Cameroonian rain forest to a medical research facility on the outskirts of a US city has ignited a public uproar: social media platforms are abuzz with cries of 'monkey business'; animal welfare groups are decrying a return to the 'dark ages' of animal research; medical professionals are debating the ethics of using non-human primates for medical research.

As a zoologist and animal welfare advocate, I am compelled to speak out on this issue not only on behalf of the animals, but also out of profound concern for human public health.

Let me be clear: importing large numbers of wild animals from foreign countries into the US is an invitation to disaster. These animals are not just mere commodities or test subjects; they are living, breathing creatures carrying with them complex ecosystems and potentially lethal pathogens.

The US has experienced multiple instances of zoonotic outbreaks tied to animal imports. One need only recall the 2003 SARS outbreak, when infected palm civet cats from China caused widespread panic. Similarly, in 2004 a US primate importer, Rare Earth Primates, was implicated in a surge of monkeypox cases among exotic pet owners.

We are now repeating this pattern, as evident in the mass imports from Cameroon. Here is the brutal truth: each of those imported animals carries the risk of an unquantified and unascertained disease load. Unknown viruses such as Barmah Forest Virus and Herpesvirus are a stark reality, concentrated in certain animal populations with no easy diagnosis or cure.

By failing to adequately regulate the animal importation industry, we end up gambling with the health and well-being of American lives. Trust me: Liberia, the DRC, or any of the other resource-poor hotspots is only one passenger flight away. Who among us will claim that their family members should be involuntary recipients of potentially lethal viruses emanating from an animal lab on their doorstep?[/INST]