Epidemics and pandemics are not new phenomena. Leprosy, plague, cholera and smallpox have all left their deadly mark on human history. The current pandemic is no exception. It marks a crisis of our way of life. Scientific studies show that it is the systematic degradation of nature that is the root cause of the COVID-19 pandemic – industrial animal farming and deforestation in particular. Widespread deforestation is exerting unsustainable pressure on habitats, forcing animals out of their natura