Anti Bushmeat hunting poster on company noticeboard Ghana West Africa Bushmeat or Viande de Brousse hunting is common in the dense forests of sub Saharan Africa for commercial purposes Bushmeat is any animal which is not traditionally regarded as game but is still edible For example rats antelopes forest elephants red gorilla chimpanzee various apes and monkeys among others The meat may appeal to poor city dwellers and one view is that eating such closely related species of primate meat is cannibalism There is practically no support for this trade outside the cities and African rain forests where it is done There are many international efforts to stop it especially in the UK Canada and USA Bushmeat harvesting is a great threat to wildlife It causes the reduction and represents another step towards the extinction for many of the world s most endangered species in areas affected Apes can also carry human diseases Ebola for example is epidemic in chimps and gorillas and spreads quite easily to those eating them HIV has also been transmitted by people eating chimpanzee The health of people in the UK could be at risk from the highly lucrative trade in the illegal import of not only meat unfit for human consumption but also wildlife bushmeat Much bushmeat comes in through personal luggage and distributed through wholesalers street markets and other traders
