Inside look at Ghana Bushmeat Markets

[Stetsonham]

Thought everyone here would find this interesting. This YouTube channel was posted last year when he hunted in South Africa.

 

[gillettehunter]

Interesting video. Thanks for sharing.
Bruce

 

[steve white]

We're screwed. This will only get worse with population increase. And think about the ramifications for leopard--less food base for them.

 

[Stetsonham]

We're screwed. This will only get worse with population increase. And think about the ramifications for leopard--less food base for them.

Population increase is definitely the biggest threat imo

 

[CBH Australia]

Worth watching.
I don’t see any need to kill the Pangolin. I think sometimes they pull the scales from live ones and I don’t agree with that either,
But as for the bush meat it’s just an industry. Some hunt, some butcher and some cook.
I did not see a lot of sheep and cattle where I was in South Africa because they were hunting properties. They employed trackers, skinners and cooks. Just different industry to what we have in our agriculture industry and I don’t see a problem with it.

 

[Hunt anything]

Well worth watching. I think they were eating royal antelope not dik-dik though. I’m kinda like the presenter and torn on the subject. People have to eat but the indiscriminate killing of any animal, old male, young and female is not sustainable. It was a little encouraging that they do have a season but not sure how they enforce it and they are naive if they think that the poachers abide by any type of season or laws.

 

[Stetsonham]

Well worth watching. I think they were eating royal antelope not dik-dik though. I’m kinda like the presenter and torn on the subject. People have to eat but the indiscriminate killing of any animal, old male, young and female is not sustainable. It was a little encouraging that they do have a season but not sure how they enforce it and they are naive if they think that the poachers abide by any type of season or laws.

Agreed. Highly doubt that any season is being followed by the law and I’m sure there is no quota on take per species as well as I’m sure meat from outside Ghana makes its way to the market.

 

[uplander01]

Bottom line, people are going to eat.

 

[CBH Australia]

Bottom line, people are going to eat.

it perhaps should be monitored to stop the illegal stuff but if they hunt legally and have safe practices then they are just running an enterprise as society would have it .
They are now living in settlements and it’s local trade. No doubt they can’t afford meat through the commercial supply chain but my understanding is that wild game meat is sold commercially.
If there is a push to ban “Bushmeat” is there a push to ban “Game meat”?
What am I not seeing here?
Is this about illegal hunting, protected species or the less regulated meat markets in poorer areas?

 

[375Fox]

it perhaps should be monitored to stop the illegal stuff but if they hunt legally and have safe practices then they are just running an enterprise as society would have it .
They are now living in settlements and it’s local trade. No doubt they can’t afford meat through the commercial supply chain but my understanding is that wild game meat is sold commercially.
If there is a push to ban “Bushmeat” is there a push to ban “Game meat”?
What am I not seeing here?
Is this about illegal hunting, protected species or the less regulated meat markets in poorer areas?

Not trying to be rude, but I don’t think you are seeing how dysfunctional Africa is outside of South Africa and Namibia. Bushmeat isn’t just another industry like cattle or sheep. It’s completely unsustainable and depletes areas of any wildlife. Unfortunately as human populations grow isolated areas that were formally somewhat protected come under pressure now as well. The level of poaching I saw where I hunted in Cameroon I don’t expect there to be wildlife in those areas in 5 years (more likely 2-3) unless another operator takes over and gets serious on anti-poaching. A poacher caught while I was there had just killed a buffalo. It was his third time caught and turned into police and released each time with a small fine and that’s with a hunting operator there pushing for convictions. There is no will in many government agencies to enforce wildlife laws especially in countries where it doesn’t generate foreign currency, also in many cases authorities have been bribed by poachers to turn a blind eye. Unfortunately, many black Africans see wildlife as a resource that cannot run out. The wildlife will likely be gone in many areas as populations grow before the culture can change if it ever does. Where I just finished hunting in Zimbabwe, the outfitter spends roughly $100k per year to keep mainly bushmeat poaching in check or the area would be depleted in a relatively short time. They can pick up snares, shoot dogs, and scare poachers off but it’s unfortunately a never ending battle. Personally I wish the locals could hunt low value animals like duiker, impala, Guinea fowl but if they have that opportunity they’ll use it to hunt sable, roan, buffalo as well. A place like Ghana or Nigeria or other countries where hunting generates no foreign currency, I can’t blame the locals for hunting/poaching, but it’s only a matter of time until there is no major wildlife left. Lord Derby eland should stretch from Senegal to South Sudan but are only found in a few isolated pockets now mainly due population growth and bushmeat. There also is generally no shortage of cattle or corn meal (often from US) in these areas so it’s not a question of lack of access to protein.

Here is just a fraction of the snares and spears picked up this year where I hunted in Zimbabwe in July. There is unfortunately no sustainable bushmeat trade outside South Africa or Namibia.

 

[CBH Australia]

Not trying to be rude, but I don’t think you are seeing how dysfunctional Africa is outside of South Africa and Namibia. Bushmeat isn’t just another industry like cattle or sheep. It’s completely unsustainable and depletes areas of any wildlife. Unfortunately as human populations grow isolated areas that were formally somewhat protected come under pressure now as well. The level of poaching I saw where I hunted in Cameroon I don’t expect there to be wildlife in those areas in 5 years (more likely 2-3) unless another operator takes over and gets serious on anti-poaching. A poacher caught while I was there had just killed a buffalo. It was his third time caught and turned into police and released each time with a small fine and that’s with a hunting operator there pushing for convictions. There is no will in many government agencies to enforce wildlife laws especially in countries where it doesn’t generate foreign currency, also in many cases authorities have been bribed by poachers to turn a blind eye. Unfortunately, many black Africans see wildlife as a resource that cannot run out. The wildlife will likely be gone in many areas as populations grow before the culture can change if it ever does. Where I just finished hunting in Zimbabwe, the outfitter spends roughly $100k per year to keep mainly bushmeat poaching in check or the area would be depleted in a relatively short time. They can pick up snares, shoot dogs, and scare poachers off but it’s unfortunately a never ending battle. Personally I wish the locals could hunt low value animals like duiker, impala, Guinea fowl but if they have that opportunity they’ll use it to hunt sable, roan, buffalo as well. A place like Ghana or Nigeria or other countries where hunting generates no foreign currency, I can’t blame the locals for hunting/poaching, but it’s only a matter of time until there is no major wildlife left. Lord Derby eland should stretch from Senegal to South Sudan but are only found in a few isolated pockets now mainly due population growth and bushmeat. There also is generally no shortage of cattle or corn meal (often from US) in these areas so it’s not a question of lack of access to protein.

Here is just a fraction of the snares and spears picked up this year where I hunted in Zimbabwe in July. There is unfortunately no sustainable bushmeat trade outside South Africa or Namibia.
View attachment 636288

Thanks,
I don’t agree with the poaching and illegal hunting or corruption.
But I don’t know where the people are hunting either.
I’ve only seen a small part of South Africa and don’t know much of the neighbouring countries.

 

[375Fox]

Thanks,
I don’t agree with the poaching and illegal hunting or corruption.
But I don’t know where the people are hunting either.
I’ve only seen a small part of South Africa and don’t know much of the neighbouring countries.

They unfortunately hunt/poach anywhere there is wildlife that isn’t heavily protected. The more wildlife the more incentive to take risk of poaching in areas with active anti-poaching or traveling long distances and set up camps for weeks. South Africa and Namibia are very civilized and organized. The difference between South Africa and a place like Cameroon or CAR might be similar to comparing Australia to a place like New Guinea.

 

[Sarg]

They unfortunately hunt/poach anywhere there is wildlife that isn’t heavily protected. The more wildlife the more incentive to take risk of poaching in areas with active anti-poaching or traveling long distances and set up camps for weeks. South Africa and Namibia are very civilized and organized. The difference between South Africa and a place like Cameroon or CAR might be similar to comparing Australia to a place like New Guinea.

Haha I missed this when posted, that is an excellent comparison !

I’m afraid most people don’t realise how game depleted most of Africa is outside of National Parks & highly protected hunting concessions.

I spent half my time pulled up snares & such when I’m hunting, in the tribal areas in most African countries there is very little game or wild animals even, crocodiles maybe some Hippo & if they have no firearms at all eg shotguns, Elephants & Buffalo as it’s a big story to kill them with primitive weapons.

 

[skydiver386]

I've seen this same thing in every Asian country. Locals have no concept of preservation of resources until it's gone.

 

[steve white]

I've seen this same thing in every Asian country. Locals have no concept of preservation of resources until it's gone.

Man, you've got that right! Friends from Nagaland (next to Burma) said villagers would even put chemicals in the water to kill little fish so they could have one meal. They had never seen a catfish over one pound, so when I boated the first blue cat bumping 30 lbs their little daughter asked, "Is that a shark?" I told them if they didn't get seasons and limits in their own country, no fish would ever grow up to any size.
They also said that if one duck flew overhead, up to 30 men would race to hunt it down wherever it went.

 

[skydiver386]

Man, you've got that right! Friends from Nagaland (next to Burma) said villagers would even put chemicals in the water to kill little fish so they could have one meal. They had never seen a catfish over one pound, so when I boated the first blue cat bumping 30 lbs their little daughter asked, "Is that a shark?" I told them if they didn't get seasons and limits in their own country, no fish would ever grow up to any size.
They also said that if one duck flew overhead, up to 30 men would race to hunt it down wherever it went.

Exactly.

Pains me to say it, but this is true of nearly every Country outside of Europe, the United States and Canada.

Not more than a few miles across the border into Mexico, there were practically no fish, ducks or birds along the Colorado river when I lived in Yuma. Small nets and trot lines were used to catch fish, and snares and nets to catch ducks.

In Thailand my team was on a training exercise accompanied by a Park Ranger in one of their National Parks. Half way up the side of a VERY steep mountain the Park Ranger, who was on point halted the patrol. After a few seconds he sprinted about 20 yards and tackled an elderly gentleman who was digging up a small tree. Turns out this was a thief they had been looking for who had been digging up several types of rare and endangered trees, taking them to Bangkok where they were sold to Chinese smugglers.

Conservation of resources just isn't taught in the schools.

 

[steve white]

In Zimbabwe, I've also seen mature mahogany trees cut down with little axes (lots of work) just to get a beehive way up in the tree. Wood was left laying. Then, again, how would they have gotten it out to market. Sad.
The biggest bush meat market was the witch doctor's house. Everyone had to give him the right haunch of whatever was killed. His place had biltong festooned like bloody laundry.

 

[Charlie64]

.

True story - I lived & worked in Nigeria 15 years. Coming back from a business trip my driver picked me up at Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos off of an evening flight from Europe. As was want, I got in the car & he saw to my bags.

20 mins into the 90 min ride home, I started getting a very 'off smell' in the back seats & asked the driver if he could smell it too ? 'No', he replied & we drove on.

40 mins in & the car was stinking. I told him to stop & he insisted everything was ok. I insisted he stop, which he reluctantly did in the middle of the Third Mainland Bridge. I got out & looked under the car with my iPhone flashlight. Nothing. I then told the drive to open the trunk whereupon he became very nervous & started making excuses.

He finally popped the trunk & there, next to my suitcase, was a very large roadkill grasscutter (read cane rate) with its entrails hanging out & by the sight & stench clearly two to three days old already!

The bushmeat went over the side railing of the bridge into the harbour much to my drivers dismay!

It took ages to get that smell out of the car! Needless to say it never happened again!

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