ETHICAL BOUNDARIES AND SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS

The complex and ever-evolving social relationship between humans and nonhuman animals began thousands of years ago, with evidence of domestication and companionship between the two species. Although human and nonhuman animal relationships have benefits for each species, such as adaptation to the environment, husbandry, and partnership, a negative consequence is the spread of zoonotic diseases. The recent and ongoing outbreak of COVID-19, as well as the numerous other zoonotic outbreaks within the past decade and the instances of spillover within our historical record, have served as a clear demonstration of the interconnectedness of human and nonhuman animal health and the difficulties that can arise from zoonotic spillover between various species. However, the approach to eliminate the spread of zoonotic diseases has not been simple. While there have been ample methods proposed to stop the transmission of zoonotic diseases, such as philosophical ideologies suggesting a new relationship between human and nonhuman animals, ecological approaches like vaccine creation and distribution, policy changes to protect specific species, and implementation of vaccine mandates to prevent spillover, it has become increasingly obvious that disease mitigation strategies to limit the transmission of zoonotic diseases cannot succeed throughout one singular discipline. Effectively implementing disease mitigation strategies to limit zoonotic spillovers must be approached from a comprehensive interdisciplinary perspective that considers a variety of factors and perspectives from multiple disciplines and their potential contributions. Such perspectives can bridge the gap between several fields of research, provide the most concise approach to the potential of limiting the spread of zoonotic diseases, and further demonstrate why some diseases are better left to take their course in nature. However, to reduce zoonotic spillover and improve disease mitigation strategies, the social relationship between human and nonhuman animals must improve, as the health of all species has become inherently interconnected.