Bushmeat trade is not just a problem restricted to Africa, it is a global resource being exploited around the world — and now it may even be riding in the overhead compartment above you on your next flight.
Photo credit: Dan Bennett
Perhaps it was even leaking fluids onto your luggage in the cargo section of your past flights. Science Daily reports that researchers recently teamed with customs officials at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport in France to conduct a first-ever investigation into the transportation of illegal bushmeat through European airports. The results were shocking with bushmeat from eleven different species being identified in passenger luggage.
In 17 days, 134 passengers from 29 flights were searched in this investigation, according to the report. Nine of the 134 passengers were found to be carrying bushmeat, while another 83 had meat from livestock or fish. Primates, crocodiles, and pangolins were among the eleven species identified in the confiscated meats, and 39% percent of the species identified are listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The largest single confiscation of bushmeat weighed in at 51 kg (246.8 pounds), and the passenger carried no other baggage. These outrageous results prove the exploitation and unsustainability that is illegal bushmeat trade. Species of conservation concern are clearly impacted by the trade, and much more so than was previously suspected.
Based on their findings, researchers from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), the National Veterinary School, and the Natural History Museum of Toulouse, in collaboration with customs officials, have estimated that as much as 270 tons of “potentially contaminated illegal bushmeat” is passing through a single European airport each year. If concern about the impacts on vulnerable species is not enough, this meat poses serious potential risk to public health. Possible diseases that could be transmitted from illegal bushmeat include monkey pox (which causes SARS) and retroviruses, such as HIV.
The Wildlife Conservation Society reported recently that two strains of “simian foamy virus” — which is related to HIV/AIDS — were detected in confiscated bushmeat passing through New York City. By simply flying out to a family vacation, you may now be exposed to life-threatening diseases dripping out of luggage loaded with bushmeat. For the health and safety of humans and the survival of species threatened with extinction, it is imperative to stop the bushmeat trade immediately.
Image: Dan Bennett via Wikimedia Commons
I am a biologist-turned-writer, with a BSc in wildlife science from Oregon State University. I have been writing about global wildlife conservation issues since 2009. You may know me from my previous role at Bush Warriors or from my ongoing work with Annamiticus, Saving Rhinos, and Project Pangolin. When I'm not blogging, I enjoy loud music, creating art, hula hooping, and being outdoors. Read more of my articles here.
