ChristianLenzi

It was March 11, 2020

when the WHO declared

that Covid-19 was, to all intents
and purposes, a pandemic.

I remember how, until a few days before,
many of us were rather skeptical

about the potential
of this new coronavirus,

also on the basis of expert advice.

Yet on that day, on that
11 March 2020, I wondered:

but if really our species,
the Homo Sapiens,

face a pandemic,

face a health crisis,

a huge spread of infections,

we would really be able
to plan the interventions

effectively?

At the time, it was rather difficult
to answer this question:

yet I began to wonder, precisely,

what this infection was,

what it represented

not so much for our species,
but also for other species.

In fact, we humans

we are definitely
not the only animals, species

which faces as tough
a challenge as a pandemic.

And so, starting from
my academic background,

from my various experiences,

I have begun to consider

that there really are
so many cases, in nature,

of infection control behaviours:

hygienic behaviour.

For example, we could mention
the case of birds.

Some of these species,
such as sparrows or flocks,

they use a very, I might say,
bizarre behavior

which is fumigation,

very similar to what we do
in the house with incense.

That is, they apply aromatic herbs -

in some cases, they are also
cigarette butts -

inside the nest.

The purpose is to disinfect it,
to make it more sanitized

to reduce the possibility
of disease occurrence;

and so it's absolutely similar

to what we do in our homes,
perhaps with incense.

And then, turning to the world of mammals,

we find a true master of hygiene:

the badger.

In our woods, the badger
is a night dweller,

and lives in dens,

usually covered with mosses,
leaves and shrubs.

Especially in the winter months,

the rate usually changes this coating,

exposes it to the sun
and replaces the foliage.

Why is that?

Because it reduces the possibility
of parasite proliferation

or any pathogens.

Besides, we have some cases
of cosmetics, so body care.

The example of brown capuchine monkeys,
these monkeys coming from South America

that use a kind of mosquito spray.

They exploit the irritating substance
produced by the millipedes,

to remove mosquitoes and avoid bites.

And then we have the case
of African elephants,

elephants using clay,
they sprinkle it on the skin,

to reduce the chance of sunburn

which clearly could then compromise
their immune system

and thus increase the risk
of infectious diseases.

And so, faced with this scenario,

we might ask ourselves:

but what has this got to do,

with what we have, for example,
in this current pandemic?

Well, if we tried to take
a closer look at the animal world,

we will notice that many of the behaviors

that we are putting in place
in recent months

are completely similar, if not identical,

to those that are implemented
by other animal species.

And so, talking about mammals,

we could quote our cousins,
the chimpanzees.

Indeed, according to the observations
of the British ethologist Jane Goodall,

and more recently confirmed
by scientific studies,

when, within the group,

a chimpanzee expresses
clear symptoms of an infectious disease

is pushed off the group,
even with some violence,

until he recuperates.

At that point, he can
be reinserted into the group.

So in this case we see
how the common, collective good

comes before the interests
of the individuals.

And it's an absolutely very similar case

to what we might call
"quarantine" or "social distancing"

for us humans.

Let's now focus
on a completely different world,

to the world of insects.

in fact, domestic bees

are the real inventors
of disinfectant gel.

Inside the hive, we find the propolis.

It is a substance made by bees,

starting from a vegetable resin,

and is used for a specific purpose:

to reduce the chance
of infections inside the hive

between individuals

and also, somehow,
as a disinfectant cement,

to seal the various cells,

and then make the hive even safer.

Why do I quote bees?

Because actually social insects,
like ants or termites,

are a true example to us humans,

because many of the behaviors
they put in place,

from the point of view of coordination
as a superorganism,

are actually really effective behaviors

and that should make us think

as we, Homo Sapiens,
are a social species also;

but we find ourselves in deep trouble

in coordinating and allying
against a common enemy.

And so, at this point
it would be legit to wonder:

can we really learn
something from animals

on the subject of immunity, hygiene

or infection control?

Well, a lot of scientific studies tell us
how, in recent years,

a great increase has been observed
in so-called emerging diseases,

these new infections
caused by a spillover,

a jump from a species to another.

And despite our species, Homo Sapiens,

they had to face in a more remote past

some very serious pandemics,

such as the plague, such as Spanish flu,

or more recently devastating viruses
such as HIV and Ebola,

despite this, Covid 19
admittedly surprised us,

and somehow shattered the idea
of Homo Sapiens ruling the world,

and instead made us rediscover
vulnerable, fragile as a species.

So, in light of all
this dramatic scenario,

there's some good news.

In fact, we have a second chance today.

The time has come to change our vision,

and take a biocentric perspective

that allows us to recreate
a harmonious relationship

with other animal species
and with all nature.

Until these decades,
our relationship with nature

was toxic:

we have polluted, we have deforested,

we have consumed the soil,
destroyed habitats of animal species.

And today, at last,
we really have a Second Chance.

So, at this point we should ask ourselves,

how animals could come in handy?

If any,

as we have seen in these cases,

we humans haven't invented much:

on the contrary, the animals
have really anticipated us,

with great effectiveness.

And so, right now, maybe, we could think

that animals could teach us something.

Even, perhaps, to better manage
a possible future pandemic.