Bushmeat is a delicacy, which often comes at a grave risk to those involved in its procurement and to consumers. It is often the product of the poaching menace the authorities are finding difficult to eliminate and conserve wildlife as a natural resource for the country’s benefit.
The harvesting of the meat fuels public health threats. Though treated as a cultural delicacy or a vital source of protein, the hidden costs are quite high.
However, it is a lucrative business, with earnings projected to be hundreds of thousands of shillings, attracting young men to get involved in poaching. Giraffes and other animals are increasingly being hunted for their meat.
According to a new report, motorcycles are the most common mode of transporting wild meat, abetting poaching between Kenya and Tanzania. Police recently seized hundreds of kilos of game meat, including zebra and antelope, at Dagoretti in Nairobi.
More than 200 hunting hotspots, mostly outside protected areas and with a 15-kilometre buffer around them, include Tsavo, Amboseli and the Mara, with Nairobi as the major destination for the meat.
Zoonotic diseases are a serious public health threat that is elevated through the butchering, handling, and consuming of wild animals, enabling the transfer of viruses from the animals. Major global health crises, including Ebola, HIV/Aids and monkeypox, have been linked to the hunting and handling of bushmeat.
What was once seen as subsistence hunting has largely evolved into a highly commercialised illegal network. Wildlife is a key economic driver through tourism. Poaching steals these long-term national revenues for short-term illicit gain.
To curb the illegal bush meat trade, there is a need to contain the boda boda menace and extend surveillance and enforcement beyond hunting grounds to the transport corridors, storage facilities, trading hubs and consumer markets.
It also calls for stronger intelligence sharing and coordinated patrols between Kenya and Tanzania.
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