The unsustainable and often unlawful commercial hunting and trade of wildlife, most often mammals but also birds and reptiles, for human consumption, documented most extensively across tropical forest regions of Africa. While bushmeat has long served as a primary source of animal protein and income in poor rural communities, unlawful commercial harvesting for wider trade has placed severe hunting pressure on more than a thousand animal species; as of 2016, 301 terrestrial mammals, including primates, ungulates, bats and pangolins, were considered threatened with extinction due to hunting for bushmeat, a situation conservationists have termed the bushmeat crisis. Beyond its conservation impact, the trade carries significant public health risk, since handling and consuming wild-caught meat has been linked to the transmission of zoonotic diseases including Ebola and HIV.
Facts
Notable ExampleBetween 1983 and 2002, the Gabon populations of western gorilla and common chimpanzee were estimated to have declined by 56%. 1 Classification
Offense GradeMinor or Summary Offense 1 Connections
Sources
1. Bushmeat (Wikipedia)
Affected wildlife speciesQuote, Affected wildlife species
Between 1983 and 2002, the Gabon populations of western gorilla and common chimpanzee were estimated to have declined by 56%.
Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School: 16 U.S. Code § 3372 - Prohibited acts
Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law SchoolIn Group: Poaching, Wildlife Trafficking and Harm to Animals, Statute textQuote, In Group: Poaching, Wildlife Trafficking and Harm to Animals, Statute text
to import , export, transport , sell, receive, acquire, or purchase any fish or wildlife or plant taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of any law, treaty, or regulation of the United States or in violation of any Indian tribal law ;
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.