Environmental biosecurity concerns in local communities
Recent infrastructural development promoted by local governments was observed and reported around all study sites. Participants reported that this has contributed to improved hygiene and sanitation conditions in local communities. Local wet markets provided safe pork, the most consumed meat among study communities, which had undergone inspection from designated slaughtering houses. However, some participants were concerned about sanitation in local markets, particularly in areas where live poultry were sold and slaughtered. Sterilized tap water was reported to be available in local communities, but anxiety was expressed by some participants regarding water sources shared with animals or polluted by animal waste.
Some participants raised concerns about the environment around their households. In addition to wild animals (e.g. rats, bats and birds) observed entering or living inside human dwellings and contaminating stored food, bat caves or roosts were reported in the community close to human dwellings. Wild animals (e.g. bats, wild boars and deer) were also observed in croplands or orchards eating crops or fruits. Some participants reported that rearing domestic animals as free-range allowed interactions between domestic and wild animals (e.g. wild boars, chickens, dogs and wild birds) (Box 2).