# What is bushmeat hunting?

> Bushmeat hunting is the capture of wild mammals (and other forest animals) for meat — from subsistence use to commercial urban trade. Unsustainable hunting threatens apes, antelope and forest species globally. Bushmeat hunting captures wild mammals, birds and reptiles for meat — from subsistence in rural communities to commercial supply of urban markets.

**Category:** Conservation  ·  **Updated:** 2026-07-05

## Key takeaways
- Bushmeat = wild meat — subsistence to commercial scale.
- Commercial urban trade empties forests fastest.
- Snares kill apes, cats and elephants as bycatch.
- Great apes reproduce slowly — hunting causes local extinction.
- Protein alternatives and patrols part of solution mix.
- Ebola risk links human health to hunting practices.

## Answer
In Central and West Africa, commercial bushmeat markets supply cities with forest antelope, primates and other mammals — often using wire snares that kill indiscriminately.

Great apes reproduce slowly; even low hunting rates can drive local extinction. Ebola risk linked to bushmeat handling is a human health concern as well.

Solutions combine law enforcement, protein alternatives, community conservancies and anti-snare patrols.

## Subsistence vs commercial
Rural families hunting for household protein differs ecologically from trucks supplying city markets with tons weekly. Commercial scale empties forests near roads — empty forest syndrome documented in Central Africa. Hunters shift from shotgun to snares as prey declines — snares cheaper, deadlier, non-selective. Urban demand for luxury bushmeat status drives price incentives. Policy must distinguish sustainable community rights from commercial extraction — both need monitoring but commercial trade causes regional defaunation faster.

## Snares and bycatch
Wire loops set for duiker catch gorillas, chimps, leopards and elephants' feet — animals die slowly from infection or starvation if not found. Anti-snare patrols remove thousands monthly in some reserves yet resupply continues. Snares require foot patrols and community reporting — aerial surveys miss them. WARN snaring answer links bushmeat economy to indiscriminate killing — same issue as mammal-facts and trafficking topics.

## Great ape vulnerability
Chimpanzee communities lost to bushmeat never recover quickly — females breed every five years or more. Gorilla groups killed for meat remove entire social units. Ebola outbreaks linked to bushmeat handling killed humans and prompted hunting bans temporarily — enforcement fades. Protein alternatives — livestock, fish farming, legumes — reduce pressure where affordable and culturally accepted. Without alternatives, enforcement alone fails hungry markets.

## Solutions that work partially
Community conservancies giving local revenue from tourism or sustainable harvest can align incentives — where governance is strong. Law enforcement at market checkpoints seizes illegal ape meat. Education on Ebola and ape protection shifts some demand. No single fix works everywhere — integrated patrols, alternatives, legal clarity on subsistence rights and corruption control combine in successful projects WARN partners reference in Central and West Africa.

## FAQ
### What is bushmeat?
Meat from wild animals — forest antelope, primates, pigs and other species — for local or commercial consumption.

### Is bushmeat illegal?
Varies by country and species — hunting apes and many threatened species is illegal; enforcement varies.

### Why is bushmeat a conservation problem?
Commercial scale empties forests; snares kill non-target threatened species; apes cannot recover quickly.

### What are snares?
Wire nooses on forest paths — cheap, indiscriminate, cause slow death — see WARN snaring answer.

### Does bushmeat cause disease?
Handling wild meat linked to Ebola and other zoonoses — human health risk alongside ecological damage.

### How is bushmeat different from what-is-bushmeat?
WARN's shorter bushmeat answer covers trade overview; this page focuses on hunting ecology and apes.

## Sources
- [CIFOR — bushmeat research](https://www.cifor-icraf.org)

Human-readable page: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/answers/what-is-bushmeat-hunting