Wild Primate Bushmeat Trade Welfare Impacts

The bushmeat trade causes enormous welfare harms to wild primates through snaring, shooting, transportation, and live trade, while driving population declines of gorillas, chimpanzees, and other species.

Key Facts

Bushmeat hunting kills an estimated 1-3.4 million tonnes of wildlife annually in Central and West Africa
Great apes including chimpanzees, gorillas, and bonobos are hunted despite legal protections in most range countries
Wire snare injuries — amputated limbs and gangrenous wounds — cause severe suffering before and after rescue
Orphaned infant primates are taken live as pets after mothers are killed; most die within months from neglect
The Bushmeat Crisis Task Force estimates bushmeat hunting threatens 150+ species with extinction
Mining, logging, and road expansion open new areas to hunters, expanding the geographic reach of the trade
Wildlife law enforcement in range countries is chronically underfunded relative to the scale of the problem

Welfare Considerations

Primates caught in wire snares suffer for days to weeks before dying or being found. Snare injuries cause limb loss, infection, gangrene, and torturous slow deaths. Chimpanzees and gorillas shot for bushmeat may be wounded and suffer before dying. Infant primates separated from killed mothers undergo extreme social and psychological trauma; most die from stress, inappropriate nutrition, or neglect in private ownership. The cognitive and emotional complexity of great apes makes the suffering from these deaths especially profound.

What You Can Do

Support Ape Action Africa, Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage, and other primate rescue organisations
Advocate for increased funding for wildlife law enforcement in great ape range countries
Never purchase or accept wild primate pets or bushmeat products
Support sustainable livelihoods programmes reducing community dependence on bushmeat hunting
Learn about the cognitive and emotional complexity of great apes to understand the depth of this welfare crisis