civet

Other animals identified as a potential source of the pandemic were the masked palm civet, which was also associated with the Sars outbreak in 2003, as well as hoary bamboo rats and Malayan porcupines.

In one recent analysis of civet coffee tourism plantations in Indonesia, his team concluded that sometimes it’s likely fakes—just standard coffee with a small percentage of kopi luwak— slipped into the booming industry or that the coffee is being produced by animals that are not on display.

“As an avid coffee enthusiast, I’ve had the opportunity to experience genuine cage-free or free-ranging civet coffee,” D’Cruze says.

Some researchers suspected a species of civet was an intermediary for the COVID-19 virus jumping to people.

For producers trying to maximize civet coffee, however, it’s easier and cheaper to just buy a new civet rather than keep the animals healthy, Nijman says.