ABSTRACT
This chapter argues for a two-part thesis with a related hypothesis. Part one is descriptive and argues that a zoonotic plague is an instantiation and symbol of our relative ignorance of other animals and the perils of interacting with them in more or less epistemic darkness. Part two is prescriptive and argues that we ought to, morally speaking, have much more humility, and therefore caution, when we interact with our fellow animals. The chapter also hypothesizes that the many perils of interspecies sports were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Animal health and welfare has been of great concern throughout lockdowns, shuttered training facilities, canceled competitions, illness, and quarantines. Food, resources, and medical supply shortages related to restrictions have affected animals and their human carers and trainers. With competitions postponed or canceled, the impact on animals has been considerable. Some animals have languished without due care and attention. Others have been treated heinously: culls and de-population have been used to inhumanely reduce animals numbers and manage human-made catastrophes. While the nature and origin of this emerging zoonosis remain to be seen, it is clear that human interests remain a priority, and those of animals are not.
