Health alert over rise in bushmeat trade

Large amounts of illegal bushmeat continue to be sold to the public in Kenya and are even shipped to UK markets, a new report says.

The trade is important not only because many of the species killed for their meat are under threat but also because eating illegal bushmeat can leave humans vulnerable to devastating viruses such as Ebola and HIV.

UK-based conservation organisation Born Free, which has been monitoring the illegal trade, has now produced a video to highlight the issue.

It says rising food prices, a rash of crop failures and wide-ranging impacts of the global recession have led to a rise in bushmeat trade in Kenya.

“Snaring of wild animals and consumption of their meat, known as bushmeat, is one of the most serious threats to wildlife in Kenya today,” Born Free says. “In some areas, commercial trade in bushmeat is threatening to wipe out Kenya’s natural heritage.

“Bushmeat also affects the UK. Latest figures indicate that nearly 7,500 tonnes of illegal meat products enter Britain every year. Some of this is believed to be bushmeat disguised as beef.”

Once in the UK, more than half (55 per cent) of the illegal meat is distributed through wholesalers or sold at local street markets.

Detective Inspector Brian Stuart, head of the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit, states: “Over the past few years the UK Law Enforcement Agencies have become increasingly aware of the illegal importation of bushmeat, which is commonly described as meat of any wild animal hunted for food. This type of meat can and does from time to time contain parts of endangered species.

“Introducing bushmeat into the UK illegally will pose some risk of transmitting disease. The main risks are to human health from food poisoning, having consumed putrid meat, and clearly the endangerment of rare species.

“With this in mind, it is important that those individuals entering or transiting the UK do not attempt to do so without appropriate documentation.”

A new film produced by Born Free Foundation in conjunction with Land Rover has been created to raise awareness on this issue and provide an insight into some of the challenges faced by people in Kenya trying to stop the trade.

Wild animals all over Africa, from giraffe to zebra and even to endangered species such as gorilla and elephant, are snared by poachers, butchered and transported to city markets and restaurants across the globe as part of a widespread commercial trade.

This business not only impacts on wild animal populations, it also poses a serious threat to human health, with transmission of anthrax, foot and mouth and TB being highlighted as potential risks.

The illegal trade is closely monitored by wildlife experts at Born Free Foundation, who use Land Rovers in Kenya to travel to hot-spots where thousands of deadly snares are located and disassembled every year.

Born Free also raises awareness among Kenyan communities on the dangers of the illicit trade.