Raccoon dogs, a spaniel-size canine bred and sold in China both for their meat and luxurious fur, are one of the likeliest sources of the last 2½ years of human misery.
A new study suggests these furry creatures, native to Asia, may have been the intermediary, catching the SARS-CoV-2 virus from bats and passing it on to people at a Chinese market, leading to the global COVID-19 pandemic.