Bushmeat Fact Sheets for Southern Sudan,Kenya,Tanzania and Uganda. These Fact Sheets were written by the eight MENTOR Fellows following a two months intensive bushmeat assessments in various sites in their countries.

Peter Amum surveyed eighty people in Boma National Park in Southern Sudan including 58 consumers, 21 hunters

and one trader. The key finding was that bushmeat is the main source of protein and income for the communities in this area. Twenty-one species were illegally hunted of which 85% were herbivores. White-eared kob and Mongalla gazelle were the most targeted species. The main hunting tool was automatic rifle. Wildlife species that are decreasing include elephant, buffalo, giraffe and zebra. Inadequate law enforcement is huge problem and the park currently lacks adequate human and technical capacity.

Read More; BEAN Fact Sheet. Southern Sudan: Boma National Park Field Assessment

Isaac Seme surveyed more than sixty people in Bor and Badingillo National Park in Southern Sudan including 23 hunters, 20 consumers and 20 wildlife managers. Key findings were that bushmeat consumption has increased and wildlife populations are dropping. The major hunting method is automatic rifles. There is inadequate law enforcement and awareness.

Read More; BEAN Fact Sheet. Southern Sudan: Bandingalo National Park and Bor Field Assessment

Iregi Mwenja found that according to the current wildlife policy in Kenya, wildlife belongs to state and there are no ownership rights for private individuals or communities living with wildlife. Consumptive use of wildlife is prohibited and there are no benefits to landholders from the wildlife resources. There is also very little community involvement in wildlife management in Kenya. As a consequence of this policy, there is an escalation of bushmeat poaching and the bushmeat trade has become commercialised. Kenya is losing prime wildlife habitat to other land uses due to the lack of wildlife ownership rights or benefits to land owners.

Read More; BEAN Fact Sheet. Kenya Wildlife Policy,Game Ranching Field Assessment

Evanson Kariuki surveyed eighty-seven respondents in the Masai Mara ecosystem in Kenya. The key finding was that poaching for bushmeat is increasing. Over the last five years, 11,398 snares and 895 other trapping devices were confiscated. In the Maasai Mara, bushmeat is a cross border issue with Tanzania. The drivers of the bushmeat trade are income, protein and culture. Species affected by the bushmeat trade include wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, hippo and impala. There is currently low awareness on the impacts of the bushmeat trade.

Read More; BEAN Fact Sheet. Masai Mara Ecosystem Field Assessment Feild Assessment

Lowaeli Damalu interviewed more than 350 people in the urban centers of Morogoro and Kilombero Districts of Tanzania including 22 key stakeholders, 33 hunters, and 303 consumers. More than 90% of the respondents were aware that the bushmeat trade is increasing from subsistence use to commercial trade. Bushmeat from Tanzania is exported outside the country to Kenya, Zambia, Malawi and the United Arab Emirates. Wildlife populations, especially ungulates are decreasing. The estimated volume of bushmeat confiscated every year is about 2,078,694.83 kg per year. Institutional capacity to deal with the bushmeat problem is inadequate in terms of funding, manpower, and knowledge. There is inadequate monitoring, inspection and supervision of subsistence hunting.

Read More; BEAN Fact Sheet. Tanzania: Field Assessment of Urban Centers Morogoro and Kilombero Districts

Martin Andimile surveyed 120 households, 4 poachers, and 2 park wardens in and around Katavi National Park. The bushmeat trade was found to be increasing due to commercial trade. The main hunting method used was muzzle loader. The bushmeat from Katavi is exported outside the country to the Democratic Republic of Congo, for example. Poaching in Katavi National Park is increasing as law enforcement is insufficient. There is little awareness about wildlife laws and the value of wildlife. The drivers of the bushmeat trade include culture, protein and income use.

Read More; BEAN Fact Sheet. Katavi National Park Field Assessment

Vincent Opyene surveyed 140 people including prosecutors, police, law enforcement wardens from protected areas, state attorneys and magistrates in Uganda and Tanzania in order to gain an understanding about legal regimes and institutional governance regarding bushmeat utilization. The key finding was that there is inadequate awareness of wildlife laws by law enforcers. The forensic equipment for proving cases is inadequate. In Tanzania, use of the Economic Crime Act contributes to the failure in prosecuting wildlife cases.

Read More; BEAN Fact Sheet. Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda: Governance and Legal Regime Field Assessment

Genesis Okello surveyed more than 200 respondents in four urban centers of Uganda (Gulu, Kasese, Masindi and Kampala) including 80 traders, 80 consumers, 40 police, and 30 wildlife officers. The key findings are that wildlife populations are declining and there are local extinctions. The origin of the bushmeat is from Murchison Falls National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Parks. The main drivers of the illegal bushmeat are taste, poverty, and culture. Bushmeat is important to livelihoods. There is currently inadequate awareness of the linkages between bushmeat and disease, about wildlife laws, and the value of wildlife. Law enforcement is insufficient. The preferred species for the bushmeat trade are hippo, buffalo, and warthog. Species that are disappearing from the trade include hippo, buffalo and elephant.

Read More; BEAN Fact Sheet. Uganda:Field Assessment of Urban Centers Masindi,Gulu,Kampala and Kasese

Bushmeat Symposium at the SCB conference 2009, Ghana. The unsustainable bushmeat trade in Eastern Africa has emerged in the last decade as a priority issue of conservation concern for the region. This symposium brings together eight conservation professionals from the Eastern Africa region including Kenya, Southern Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda who are working as a team to study and address bushmeat challenges and solutions through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Wildlife Without Borders- Africa program.

Read more; Bushmeat Symposium Abstract for SCB Conference Ghana

Bushmeat articles in popular Media

Take a look at the 70 year evolution of Kenya’s Wildlife policy and the thorny issue of sustainable use plus some analysis some of the impact of this policy on bushmeat poaching in the current issue of ‘Swara’ wildlife magazine.

Read the full article by Iregi Mwenja on ‘Swara’ Magazine