Congressional Subcommittee Investigates Africa's Bushmeat Crisis

7/11/2002

From: Jane Ballentine of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, 301-562-0777 ext. 252

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Members of the Silver Spring, Maryland-based Bushmeat Crisis Task Force (BCTF) today testified along with other expert witnesses at an Oversight Hearing of the House Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans Chaired by Congressman Wayne T. Gilchrest (R-Md.). The hearing focused on Africa's bushmeat crisis and the unsustainable loss of wildlife -- from elephants to rodents -- due to over-hunting resulting from dramatically increased demands for, and trade of, wildlife meat occurring across the continent.

"The bushmeat crisis is not simply a wildlife crisis. Rather, it is a symptom of much deeper socio-economic problems that are affecting the entire continent," stated Dr. Michael Hutchins, Director of Conservation and Science for the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) and Steering Committee Chair for the BCTF. "The bushmeat crisis is also a human welfare issue, as the commercial bushmeat trade removes this important resource from the communities most dependent upon it."

Marcellin Agnagna, Chair of the CITES Bushmeat Working Group from Central Africa, was invited as a special witness to the hearing, based on his decades of experience in Africa working in national parks and with the Republic of Congo government as Director of Wildlife and Protected Areas. As he stated, "The international community is being summoned. The Central African countries need international support to fight against this scourge that not only is decimating their wildlife heritage, but is also a dangerous threat to the life of the forest peoples, notably the Pygmies. The bushmeat trade kills the wildlife and the village."

"Butchering and eating wildlife, particularly apes and other primates, increases the risk that people may contract deadly diseases such as Ebola, and has been suggested as one of the potential avenues for the emergence of HIV/AIDS," added Dr. Hutchins in reference to recent research findings that have identified the origin of the HIV virus from a similar virus in chimpanzees and sooty mangabeys. Since these findings were established researchers have identified 26 other Simian Immunodeficiency Viruses (SIVs) associated with other primates being regularly consumed in the bushmeat trade.

All witnesses identified the importance of establishing a sustainably-financed system of protected areas, as well as the development of international collaboration to address the many proposed solutions to the bushmeat crisis including public awareness, development of protein and income alternatives, professional training, and building law enforcement capacity.

Three U.S. Government representatives, Jeffry Burnham, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Environment, Kenneth Stansell, Assistant Director-International Affairs, US Fish & Wildlife Service, and Jim Graham, Project Manager of USAID's CARPE project, testified in the first expert panel, describing the impacts of overhunting across Africa and the programs their agencies are implementing to help mitigate this growing crisis.

The second expert panel included not only Marcellin Agnagna, and Dr. Michael Hutchins, but also Dr. Richard Carroll of the World Wildlife Fund, US, Dr. John Robinson of the Wildlife Conservation Society, and Dr. Mohamed Bakarr of Conservation International. Each testified regarding the causes and impacts of the bushmeat crisis as well as programs their organizations were undertaking to address the problem. Recommendations for action by the U.S. Government were made. These included:

-- Support an international collaborative effort to provide sustainable financing for a system of protected areas in Africa.

-- Building international alliances that promote sustainable economic development for poverty reduction and assurance of livelihoods as well as development of appropriate protein alternatives.

-- Encouraging private industry to be socially responsible and collaborate with governments and conservation personnel to assure wildlife management occurs in logging, mining, petroleum and other concessions.

-- Establishing a Congressional Bushmeat Caucus to identify specific actions the US Government could take to support African nations in their efforts to address the emerging crisis and its causes.

The Bushmeat Crisis Task Force (BCTF), founded in 1999, is a consortium of conservation organizations and scientists dedicated to the conservation of wildlife populations threatened by commercial hunting of wildlife for sale as meat. The BCTF is based at the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) offices. AZA was founded in 1924 and currently represents 205 accredited zoos and aquariums in North America. AZA's mission is to support membership excellence in conservation, education, science and recreation. More information can be found at http://www.bushmeat.org.