ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, was a major event that led to millions of people becoming ill or dying. It was truly a worldwide event, affecting the majority of the human population. However, how were animals affected? Many died or their welfare suffered through indirect actions taken during the pandemic. Here, the virus that caused the pandemic will be introduced. Its possible origin will be discussed briefly, along with other related viruses that caused epidemics in the past, such as SARS and MERS. The effects on the human population are briefly covered, as mitigating actions often had an impact on animals. The chapter ends with a discussion as to why animals should be incorporated into discussions of the COVID-19 pandemic and suggests that the One Health/One Medicine agenda should be embraced in the future to prevent or manage future epidemics. COVID-19 will not be the last viral epidemic, and therefore in the rest of the book what happened and what we can learn from recent experiences will be discussed.
