is climbing the charts to be the number 1 threat to African primates, particularly apes. So what you say, indigenous populations have been hunting animals for thousands of years, it’s their right. Well, things have changed, and it’s reaching crisis point. You might have seen that dude in the convertible, gold bling, flashing the cheese, indulging in a little conspicuous consumption. Expensive objects and privilege scream status, and this sometimes translates to the consumption of rare and powerful animals. You eat a strong and frightening animal you take in its power, you pay the equivalent of six months salary of the lower classes for one meal and you must be important. Bushmeat no longer feeds families directly, they now sell the meat to traders, who on sell it to restaurants in the city or to international smugglers. The rate of killing is not sustainable, logging concessions create opportunities for hunters to go further into the forests, and a convenient method for getting the meat out, via the logging trucks. No longer are the animals trapped or hunted with traditional weapons, but with modern firepower capable of downing many more individuals per hunting trip.
To be honest, if I was eeking out an existence in a country that is often torn apart with civil strife and my family’s survival rested on the sale of bushmeat I would probably do it also. Until income alternatives are in place there is no way to slow the bushmeat trade. One is the sale of locally made goods, to tourists and internationally with the assistance of conservation organisations. I recently came across a site called bidding for good , think Ebay with a conscience. I found it through an email I received about Partners in Conservation , an initiative from the Columbus Zoo to assist people of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. Items for sale start at $10, also for sale are contributions to help the local communities with much needed equipment. Click here to see all the Auction items . Some pretty funky and unique gifts among them, some of my favourites…
Rwandan Hand-Carved Olive Root Double Giraffe by Jean-Baptiste
Follow the link to learn more about the bushmeat trade and how you can help.
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