300 Gorillas killed every year for Bushmeat in southern Congo

16/09/2009 16:28:41

Gorillas under threat from bush meat demand
September 2009. In the face of a burgeoning market for bush meat in central Africa, Endangered Species International conducted a year long undercover study at every major market in Congo's second largest city, Pointe Noire. The aim was to discover which animals were being killed for their meat and where they came from.

The research revealed that Western gorilla meat is regularly sold in the markets, and that the origin of all the illegal and legal bushmeat is one particular region called the Kouilou. The study has disclosed the horrific scale of the endangered species market in the Republic of Congo, and especially the amount of meat from endangered gorillas.

In addition to gorilla meat, the investigation discovered that meat from many other at-risk species, such as hinged tortoise, crocodile, blue duiker and white-bellied pangolins is regulalrly on sale.

300 gorillas killed per year
Gorilla meat is sold pre-cut and smoked for about $6 per "hand-sized" piece - actual gorilla hands are also available. It is estimated that 300 gorillas could be slaughtered each year to be sold at the markets.

Last August ESI organized a field expedition to see how many gorillas live in the area where the bush meat originates from, and to discover how big a problem the illegal hunting has become. In less than1.5 weeks they found that 2 adult gorillas were killed for their meat; not for local consumption but to be shipped to the city. They also observed two gorilla groups of 13 and 20 individuals with dominant males. ESI plans to go back to determine the number of groups still present.

Distant markets
It is worrying that the gorillas are not being killed for local markets (the meat is transported around 100 KMS to be sold) as the larger markets will prove unsustainable.

Enforcement does not exist in the Kouilou region, though some law enforcement is carried out in Brazzaville. An improvement in law enforcement could reduce the impact of the commercial trade in bush meat on Western gorillas and other endangered animals but it is not enough. ESI and others need to work on many fronts including awareness, poverty reduction, and better understanding of local cultures.

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