Bushmeat hunting of primates across Central and West Africa kills adult animals and creates a stream of infant orphans whose capture and trade compounds both individual welfare harm and population decline.
Primate bushmeat hunting creates welfare impacts that cascade across generations. Adult animals killed experience fear, pain, and death during hunting. Infants who survive the death of their mother experience acute trauma: witnessing the killing, being forcibly separated from the body, and being transported in stressful conditions. Young primates raised in isolation without species-appropriate social contact develop severe psychological abnormalities including stereotypic behaviour, self-harm, and inability to form normal social relationships. Rehabilitation of orphaned primates requires years of intensive care, progressive socialisation, and gradual exposure to wild environments. Even well-rehabilitated individuals may never fully achieve the social competence of wild-born animals. The scale of the problem far exceeds the capacity of existing sanctuaries. Addressing bushmeat demand through urban consumer behaviour change and alternative protein provision in forest communities is essential for long-term reduction of this welfare crisis.