Issues:
Hunting and the Bushmeat Crisis
 The
goal of JGI’s Africa Programs is to ensure the long-term
protection of wild ape populations in natural host countries in
Africa while preserving biodiversity as well as cultural traditions
and livelihoods.
African forests teemed with wildlife at the turn of the last
century. The forests rang out with the calls of birds, chimpanzees
and other animals, and carried the gentle or erratic movements
of vines and branches. Compare that with the African forests of
today. Recent figures indicate that fewer than 150,000 chimpanzees
-- among our closest relatives in the animal kingdom -- remain
in the African wilderness, where 1 to 2 million lived in the year
1900.
While in remote areas the wildlife chorus may still ring out,
more than ever before the forest carries other sounds -- truck,
chain saw, and also the gunshots of poachers.
 The
most recent crisis threatens not only chimpanzees, but also other
great apes and species of fauna and flora in the African forests.
As logging roads are cut into previously unreachable areas, the
hunting of wildlife for bushmeat -- once a practice supporting
forest peoples -- has become commercial, catering to the cultural
preference of many urban dwellers for the meat of wild animals.
Bushmeat also supplies logging camps with food.
How serious is the problem? The commercial hunting of bushmeat
could well lead to the loss of several species, including chimpanzees,
gorillas and elephants.
Related JGI Programs and Objectives:
|
