:c
Is Pokerus an STD now?

Bushmeat in Africa Today
By _______________________________________________

Why is bushmeat so tasty? Why is it so irresistible? Bushmeat can be delicious to some, but the people of Africa don't normally eat it by choice. Those who eat it are actually often too poor to buy better meat, so they hunt bushmeat for food and/or money. Bushmeat is a serious problem that needs to stop. Animals are going to die off and will become extinct soon. It’s now time for a change or the damage can be too great to repair.

Q: What is bushmeat?
A: Bushmeat is any type of meat that is taken from Africa’s forests, which are also referred to as “the bush.” This is sometimes for sustenance, but often it is also commercially hunted and sold as well (Ash, Scholes, and Hassen 407). Heather Eves, director of the Bushmeat Crisis Task Force, has said, “If you need one animal to feed your family, that’s one thing. If you’re killing 17 animals to sell 16 and a half, that’s a whole other issue” (“Quiet Forests” n.p.). Animals considered bushmeat are not regarded as game and are often hunted illegally (Ballaro n.p.).

Q: Are there any legal consequences to hunting, buying, and selling bushmeat?
A: The legal punishments and enforcements vary by the country and area in which you live. In Europe, the maximum fine that can be imposed upon an individual for participating in the trade of bushmeat is $556. Only some of the African countries (such as Kenya) have laws against the hunting of bushmeat, while others (like the Congo) do not. Unfortunately, the countries that do have laws against the hunting of these animals rarely enforce them—almost nothing is ever done to actually start making changes (Okello and Cheng n.p.). Most of the animals illegally hunted for commercial purposes are exported to other places around the globe, where they can fetch high prices (up to $18 per pound) at little cost to the poachers who caught and exported them (Rushton, Viscarra, et al n.p.). The high profits combined with the low chance of being reprimanded are what encourage the bushmeat trade and allow it to not only survive but flourish.

Q: How much bushmeat is consumed annually?
A: Each year in Africa about 15 million tons of bushmeat is consumed—in western Africa as the standard source for protein, in the rest of the continent as an easy source of meat (Scholes, Ash, and Hassen 407). Quite a bit is also illegally poached and exported to other areas of the world, primarily Europe and North America. There have been no proven numbers as to how much meat is sent out to these two continents, but around 2,600 tons of meat in Paris alone are sold in black markets each year (Okello and Cheng n.p.).

Q: Where does bushmeat hunting happen? Where does the trade take place?
A: Bushmeat hunting occurs in Africa, Asia, and South America. The trade takes place in the urban markets. The buying power has decreased with the weak economy, causing families to eat less expensive meat of their choice. The roads in Africa majorly affect the animals and are making them change their behavior. This multibillion-dollar trade is the most immediate threat to the tropical vertebrates. (“What Is Driving the Bushmeat Trade” n.p.)

Q: Where and how is bushmeat smuggled?
A: Bushmeat is found in many international airports and local markets. Paris is at the heart of the trade, where more than five tons of bushmeat slips through the city’s main airport each week. Bushmeat is widely eaten in central and west Africa. “It's like buying the best cut of organically grown beef,” Rowcliffe said, adding that bushmeat like giant rats and porcupines (which he has tasted) have a strong, gamey flavor (“Bushmeat Smuggling Widespread in Paris: 5 Tons Smuggled Weekly” n.p.).

Q: What animals are the most threatened by bushmeat hunting?
A: The great apes (gorillas, chimpanzees, and monkeys) are affected by this hunting, as are porcupines, alligators, rats, and a few others. If this excessive hunting continues, the animals will become extinct and then there will be nothing left for them to hunt and eat. It is recommended that people hunt for non-legalized animals so the nearly lost species don’t go extinct. (“Threatened on All Sides” n.p.)

Q: What are consequences of eating bushmeat?

A: Apes may harbour pathogens that can affect humans. Ebola may be found in chimps, gorillas and bonobos, and might spread to humans through the handling of meat and the consumption of these animals. Research has shown that Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the precursor to AIDS, likely originated from a similar virus in chimpanzees called Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV). It is believed that HIV probably initially jumped into humans after people in Africa consumed infected bush meat.

Q: How does hunting for bushmeat affect animal population?

A: The apes' small numbers and the attractiveness of hunting them means the impact on hunting them is considerable. Orphans of the bushmeat trade are often sold as pets, as young apes do not have enough meat on them to eat. The young apes are then taken care for by the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA). Apes reproduce really slow, at about one-fourth the rate of most other mammals. A study in Gabon, the country with 80% of its forest still in place, showed that it had suffered at least a 56% decline in its ape population over seventeen years.

Q:What parts of the animal are most dangerous?

A: The animals' mouth is the most dangerous part; this is because their mouths are what carry the disease related to HIV.

Q: What can we do about illegal bushmeat smuggling today?
A: One of the best ways to help fight against illegal bushmeat smuggling today is to donate money to organizations that are trying to eliminate it, such as the Bushmeat Crisis Task Force(“Bushmeat” n.p.). You could also write letters to government officials asking them to do something about it, or at least contribute money to the anti-bushmeat fund. You could also research and learn about the problem, and then share what you learned with your peers. Anything that you can do to help stop this problem would be an immense help.

Q: How badly are animals being affected right now?
A: Studies show that over one million metric tons of bush meat are taken illegally from African forests alone each year, and that number is increasing (“Get Involved” n.p). Due to the illegal trade of bushmeat, many species of African animals are endangered of becoming extinct in the next 15 to 20 years (“Get Involved n.p). In addition, eating bushmeat is a very serious health hazard to us as well. Seven people have gotten HIV last year because of eating bush meat (“Get Involved” n.p). Finally, with an ever growing population of humans on the earth, there will be an even higher demand for bush meat in the near future (“Get Involved” n.p).

Q: How badly is it affecting us?
A: Over one million tons of bushmeat is smuggled out of Africa every year, which is enough meat to make over 9 billion quarter-pound hamburgers (“Smuggled” n.p). Recent reports have shown that hundreds or maybe even thousands of pounds of bushmeat are coming into the United States each day. (“Smuggled” n.p). All bushmeat smuggled out of Africa is more than likely contaminated, so that’s a risk to the smugglers and to the consumers (Molland n.p). Much of that contaminated meat is handled by people with poor sanitation, so that only worsens the state of putrescence to the meat. Anyone who consumes or handles this meat is at serious risk of getting HIV, yellow fever, Ebola, and many other horrid diseases (Molland n.p.).

:c
Is Pokerus an STD now?