Primate Bushmeat Trade Welfare | Animal Welfare Hub

The bushmeat trade causes immense suffering to primates through hunting, live capture, and transport. Addressing this trade requires both enforcement and community livelihood alternatives.

Key Facts

An estimated 5 million tonnes of bushmeat are harvested annually in the Congo Basin alone
Great apes, monkeys, and other primates are hunted both for food and the live pet trade
Wire snares cause severe injuries to primates including limb loss before capture or death
Orphaned primates from bushmeat hunting are frequently sold into the pet trade creating a secondary welfare crisis
Community-based conservation programmes that provide protein alternatives have reduced hunting pressure in pilot areas
Primate sanctuaries in Central and West Africa care for thousands of orphaned bushmeat trade survivors

Welfare Considerations

The bushmeat trade inflicts suffering across multiple dimensions: the pain and fear of snare entrapment or active hunting, the trauma of witnessing group members killed, the distress of capture and transport, and for survivors, the long-term consequences of orphaning and loss of social group. Primate sanctuaries provide essential welfare support for individual survivors, but the scale of the trade means sanctuary capacity is perpetually overwhelmed. Addressing the trade requires economic alternatives, law enforcement, and cultural engagement in source communities, alongside continued sanctuary support for individual animals rescued from the trade.

What You Can Do

Support primate sanctuaries in Central and West Africa caring for bushmeat trade survivors
Donate to organisations funding community protein alternative programmes near primate habitat
Avoid purchasing primate-derived products or engaging in primate tourism that may incentivise capture
Advocate for diplomatic pressure on governments to enforce existing wildlife trade laws
Support conservation organisations working with communities to develop sustainable livelihoods as hunting alternatives