The Problem with Bushmeat

Poaching for bushmeat, other commercial reasons and illegal killing of wildlife due to the human animal conflict haven’t been halted during lockdown, resulting in an alarming number of deaths by gruesome means to leopards, small wild cats and other endangered wildlife.

In Sri Lanka the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance is the primary legislation that protects wild animals, including mammals and reptiles therefore the illegal killing of any wildlife is punishable by law. Some devices used in illegal killing of wildlife are snares, hakka pattas and rifles. Target animals such as wild boar (Sus scrofa), sambar (Rusa unicolor) and spotted deer (Axis axis) are poached for their meat.

The Sri Lankan leopards (Panthera pardus kotiya), fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus), jungle cat (Felis chaus), rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus), and other species are killed for their skins as these fetch a high price in the black market, but there have been recent incidents where leopards and small wild cats have been poached for their meat. Ritual and retaliatory killings also result in these species falling victim to humans and there have been very few records of actual number of these incidents.

SCAR has come together with Leopocon Sri Lanka, and the Parrotfish Collective to start a campaign – funded by Lanka Environment Fund – to raise awareness on the bushmeat trade. People are aware of the deaths of species as a result of this, however countless incidents are unreported and loss of wildlife threatens ecosystems they depend on and the functionality of these ecosystems. The purpose of this campaign is to shed light on darker aspects of this trade and create awareness to curb the need for bushmeat.

So join the cause, and share our posts to spread awareness on this issue with everyone you know and love!

And don’t forget to use the hashtag #saynotobushmeat