Sugar Glider Dubbed Cutest, Scariest Animal on Earth

Dr. Peter Daszak, a number one disease ecologist and president of EcoHealth Alliance, says the sugar glider is "the cutest, scariest animal on earth." The sugar glider is really a small gliding marsupial with huge round eyes along with a long tail.

Daszak says, "I'm most fearful of this specific little animal, since the folks are entering the forests of Indonesia to trap them, bring them into captivity, and ship them around the globe - directly into our homes, where we hold them, kiss them, and cuddle as much as them. What easier way could there be for just about any among this species' 100 new viruses to spread to humans?"

Daszak's comments were a part of a speech he gave in the TEDMED 2010 Conference in North park. Daszak says approximately 75 % of emerging infectious diseases affecting humans today is of zoonotic origin (an illness that jumps from wild or domestic animals and spreads to humans). The deadly SARS outbreak is considered to have spread to humans from civet cats.

"Around the entire world a rising variety of diseases like SARS, monkeypox, and HIV are dispersed because of trade in wildlife, that diseases have serious public health, economic, and conservation consequences," Dr. Daszak said. "Using EcoHealth Alliance's unparalleled experience, the corporation is trying to identify, predict and mitigate disease outbreaks."

Photo: EcoHealth Alliance