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Bush Meat:Bush Meat: The Crisis in AfricaThe Crisis in Africa

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“Do we really care that within 15 years there may be no chimpanzees or gorillas or elephants or any other amazing beings, roaming the forests of the Congo Basin and other parts of Central and West Africa? Does it matter? ...We do not have much time left. We must act now”.-- Dr. Jane Goodall

The act of killing wildlife in West and Central Africa for food, or bushmeat, has become a major international issue.

The Bushmeat Crisis

Average Monkey Carcasses per Markey Day in Bioko, Africa

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Driving Factors Threatening Wildlife in West and Central Africa

•Rising demand

• Lack of alternative options for income generation

•Absence of protein substitutes

•Opening of old growth forest

• Lack of capacity to enforce or legitimize existing laws

• The unrestricted ability for anyone to enter the commercial bushmeat trade

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A depressing by-product of bushmeat hunting are the baby orphans who are left to die. There is a constant influx of orphans to chimpanzee and gorilla sanctuaries around Africa.

A dying baby gorilla. Gorillas, unlike chimpanzees often lose hope and die.

Baby gorillas in a sanctuary.

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What is Being Done?Projects like the Jane Goodall Institute and numerous others hope to save the apes by:

•Increasing conservation presence in national parks and protected areas

•Halting the commercial trade of apes as bushmeat and pets

•increasing government capacity

•Using community-based measures to increase the preservation of forest habitats and cultural livelihoods.

Chimpanzees being fed at a sanctuary

References1. Image of gorilla head from http://kamrani.net/kambiz/primatology/images/bushmeat/P133.jpg2. <http://www.janegoodall.org>3. Graph information from <http://www.bioko.org/conservation/market.asp>4. Image of butchered gorilla from www.solcomhouse.com/bushmeat.htm5. Image from

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/09/photogalleries/bushmeat_2/photo10.html6. Information from http://www.janegoodall.org7. Graph information from http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0430-hunting.html8. Image of dying gorilla from

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/09/photogalleries/bushmeat_1/photo4.html9. Image and information on baby gorillas/orphans from

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/09/photogalleries/bushmeat_1/photo2.html10. Image of baby chimp and mother

http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/AP_Photo/2007/03/29/1175204424_5421.jpg11. Image of baby gorilla and mother http://www.denverzoo.org/images/gorilla_baby_mom_lg_4627_dp.jpg12. Image of baby chimp and mother 2

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Chimpanzee_mom_and_baby.jpg13. Image of baby guenon and mother http://images.chron.com/blogs/momhouston/baby%20monkey.jpg14. Information from http://janegoodall.org15. Image from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/09/photogalleries/bushmeat_1/photo7.html