Do Humans Cause Cancer In Wild Animals?
Some human practices can cause cancer to people, but can they harm the health of other species and cause cancer to wild animals?
Certain activities and habits of human beings can cause wild animals to develop cancer: smoking, poor diets, contamination, the use of chemicals such as additives in food and personal hygiene products.
Are we oncogenes? A species that causes cancer to other species?
Researchers at the University of Arizona Department of Life Sciences think humans are oncogenes. For this reason, they urgently ask that studies be carried out on this topic.
In an article published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, Mathieu Giraudeau and Tuul Sepp, two researchers from Professor Kevin McGraw’s laboratory, claim that people are changing the environment in a way that causes cancer in wild animals.
Some viruses are known to cause cancer in humans if the environment in which they live, and in this case the human cells, is changed to be more suitable for them.
Some human activities damage the health of wild animals
In the research, Giraudeau, Sepp and a group of international scientists point to many previous scientific studies that show how human activity already harmed animals.
This includes the chemical and physical contamination of oceans and rivers, the accidental release of radiation into the atmosphere by nuclear power plants, and the accumulation of microplastics in both terrestrial and aquatic environments.
In addition, exposure to pesticides and herbicides in crops, artificial light, loss of genetic diversity and animals that eat human foods are known to cause health problems.
“Cancer in wild populations is a completely ignored topic and we want to encourage studies on this topic”, they explain and add: “our species can strongly influence the appearance of cancer in many other species of the world”.
What harms people can harm wild animals as well
Researchers recall that human studies reveal that obesity and nutrient deficiency can cause cancer. However, these problems have been overlooked in wild animals.
At the same time, more and more wild species are in contact with anthropogenic food sources. That is, they suffer the effects of human activities.
Furthermore, it is known that artificial light during the night can cause hormonal changes and even cancer.
Wild animals that live near cities and roads present the same problem: there is no darkness. For example, the hormones of birds, the same ones that are related to cancer in people, are affected by light at night.
A threat to us and to the planet
If humans are the cause of cancer in wild animals, then many species may be more threatened than is believed. However, the researchers believe there is still hope.
“For me the saddest thing is that we already know what to do. We must not destroy the habitats of wild animals, contaminate the environment and feed wild animals with people’s food “, says Sepp who adds:” The fact that everyone already knows how to act but I don’t do it, and this is very worrying ” .
In this regard, the researchers see hope in education: “Our children are learning much more about the conservation problems of the planet than our parents. So there is hope that the decisions they will make in the future will be more conscientious of the anthropogenic effects on the environment ”, they conclude.
