African bushmeat sold in Europe, America, scientists say
Wednesday, July 5, 2006; Posted: 2:15 p.m. EDT (18:15 GMT)
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LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Meat from wild animals including primates is
being sold in clandestine markets in North America and Europe, according
to a report released Wednesday.
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Wildlife biologist Justin Brashares, of the University of California, Berkeley
, and a team a volunteers tracked down the illicit trade in Paris, Brussels
, London, New York, Montreal, Toronto and Los Angeles.
"I have 27 records of chimpanzee and gorilla parts being sold in markets,"
Brashares told New Scientist magazine.
"In each case it was not a complete body, but a hand, leg or in two cases,
a head," he added.
Bushmeat is meat from wild animals including gorilla, chimpanzee, forest
antelope, crocodile and bush pig. It is a food staple among forest-dwelling
communities in Africa and a source of income for thousands of people.
But the hunting and sale of wild animal meat is a threat to endangered
species and also poses a health risk because eating bushmeat has been
linked to fatal illnesses such as HIV/AIDS and Ebola.
Brashares stumbled upon the illegal trade after a chance conversation two
years ago with a Ghanaian taxi driver in New York who took him to a market
in a warehouse in Brooklyn.
"I was shocked that open markets sell large quantities of African bushmeat
in major cities outside of Africa," Brashares added.
At a meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology last month he said 6,000
kilograms (13,230 pounds) of bushmeat moves through the seven markets each
month.
Small antelopes called Duikers were the most common type of bushmeat in the
markets, but Brashares said meat from primates, rodents, reptiles and birds
was also being sold.
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這篇比較短 ^^
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