The bushmeat trade drives significant wildlife mortality and welfare harm across tropical Africa and Asia, with primates being among the most affected species due to their meat value and cultural significance.
The bushmeat trade creates welfare harm at multiple levels. Animals killed for meat experience the acute suffering of injury and death. Animals captured but not immediately killed — often juveniles whose mothers were killed — experience the trauma of capture, transport, and confinement. Primates sold as pets from bushmeat operations face a lifetime of inappropriate captive conditions. The scale of the trade makes it one of the most significant sources of wildlife welfare harm in tropical regions. Addressing it requires interventions that account for the food security and livelihood dimensions of the practice rather than purely punitive approaches.