Study highlights benefits of bushmeat in local nutrition

A recent study published in the journal 'Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences' (PNAS) has quantified how important it is in children to eat bushmeat. I've read about how the meat from hunting doesn't go to waste but is instead eaten by locals. I've also seen this fact used as an argument to support hunting. However, I've never seen an actual study that demonstrates how important it really is to a child's development. The study was conducted in Madagascar but the conclusions can be read Africa-wide.

The first two links are to reviews of the study and the third link is to an abstract of the study itself. (I would link the entire study but it is available only to PNAS subscribers and I'm not one.)

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The reviews are pretty straightforward and even handed. Bushmeat isn't some sort of luxury for elites but is essential to a child's development. The authors stop short of advocating hunting, but point out even if domesticated animals are introduced, local tastes will often prefer bushmeat. The anti-hunting crowd is already complaining about the study.

Those developing kids need lots of protein! I was bummed when I learned that most of the meat from my Namibian plaisgame hunt got sold to butchershops/restaurants (I was hoping the local tribes got it) But I realize the game rancher is in business to maximize his profit margin...I really enjoy reading about hunts where local villagers come to the kill site to collect the meat...