Hunt for bushmeat linked to decline of wildlife in DRC

By Virunga Community Programs

Bush meat has become a cheap and time-honoured form of food in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other parts of the world. Crocodiles, antelopes, bats and monkeys plus other species like snakes are caught in the wild and cooked for the human table.

According to Global Press Journal in an article, “Rare Delicacy in DRC connected to Illegal Wildlife Trafficking,”Bushmeat, a delicacy in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is enjoyed by many, but its procurement is linked to illegal wildlife trafficking throughout the region. Officials work to educate the public on this connection to stop people from supporting those who are partially responsible for the DRC’s declining wildlife.

"I love fresh bushmeat – it has never caused any indigestion or disease," said Nelly Mbogo, a housewife in a market in Kisangani.

Bushmeat, also known as nyama ya pori in local language is considered a delicacy and is a rare commodity in different markets of the DRC. In the North Kivu province, it is mostly available via special order.

According to the article, the bushmeat that is available in Goma mostly is porcupine and monkey meat while in Kisangani, the bats and the gorillas also are favourite   bushmeat.

Goma traders purchase bushmeat from rural areas and resell it for a steep price. The meat sells for $15 to $20 per kilogram, depending on the type of animal.

However, the demand for local meat exists alongside demand for other types of wildlife trafficking.

According to Wikipedia, Bushmeat, wild meat, or game meat is meat from non-domesticated mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds hunted for food in tropical forests. Commercial harvesting and the trade of wildlife is considered a threat to biodiversity.

Bushmeat also provides a route for a number of serious tropical diseases to spread to humans from their animal hosts. These include Ebola. Bushmeat is used for sustenance in remote areas, while in major towns and cities in bushmeat eating societies it is treated as a delicacy

However, bushmeat consumption threatens a wide range of species which include the endangered ones threatened with extinction.

Animal populations are decreasing at alarming rate and endangered species are increasingly threatened because of both poaching and the high demand for wildmeat in local markets across DRC, according to the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN). In the Garamba National Park located in the northeast of DRC, for example, about 65 percent of its protected animal species have disappeared over the past three decades.

But efforts should be made to protect these animals. In the DRC, Article 78 of DRC’s Nature Conservation law says any person who kills, injures, captures or is found in possession of a specimen of any endangered wildlife species is guilty of an offence, and is, upon conviction, punished with one to ten years’ imprisonment and a fine of between 5 million and 20 million Congolese francs ($3,146-$12,584).

DRC is home to several wildlife sanctuaries where more than 70 fully-protected wildlife species, like elephants, gorillas, cheetahs, okapis and crocodiles, and 230 other partially-protected species, live, according to Juristrale, a DRC-based non-governmental organization. Several of DRC’s wildlife sanctuaries, including the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, are UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Even though bushmeat is a delicacy in many parts of the world, we at the Virunga Community Programs believe that these animals should be highly protected, otherwise they are going to become extinct as the population increases and the demand for food also increases. They should be placed in protected areas, and more rangers and guards employed to ensure their protection.

Alternative sources of food should also be found so that we do not depend on bushmeat and illegal hunting of wildlife. The Virunga Community Programs needs worldwide support to stop these activities that threaten the existence of our heritage.

www.virungaprograms.com