The bushmeat trade involves hunting and consuming wild mammals, birds, and reptiles, creating welfare harms and driving population decline across tropical regions.
The welfare dimension of bushmeat hunting is acute: snaring causes animals to suffer for hours or days before death or rescue. Primates caught for meat may be kept alive in poor conditions before slaughter. The wildlife welfare crisis intersects with food security — communities that depend on bushmeat for protein have limited alternatives. Conservation approaches that improve food security without demonizing subsistence hunters are more effective than punitive enforcement.