The bushmeat trade in Central and West Africa causes direct welfare harm to individual primates and threatens population viability across the region.
The bushmeat trade causes immense suffering at the individual level — primates trapped in wire snares endure injuries for hours or days; live animals transported in cramped conditions for market sale experience prolonged stress. The welfare harm compounds across thousands of animals annually. Community-based programs that address the economic drivers of bushmeat hunting by providing alternative livelihoods and protein sources achieve better outcomes than enforcement-only approaches. The welfare case aligns with the conservation case: the same programs that reduce bushmeat mortality improve welfare for the animals who survive.