STATE OF ENDANGERED SPECIES | BACKGROUND & ISSUES | PROGRAM AGENDA | SPEAKERS
Bushmeat
Position Statement
"The Zoological Society of San Diego recognizes that the widespread consumption of wildlife in the bushmeat trade is an environmental catastrophe for which immediate action must be taken. (“Bushmeat” refers to meat, used for human consumption, which is gathered from the killing of wild animals as opposed to animals that are domestically raised for this purpose). The causes and consequences of this critical situation are complex, and the solutions must be multi-focused. The Zoological Society, therefore, continues to commit cooperation and resources to local, national, and international efforts to stop the illegal commercial bushmeat trade and manage legal consumption of wildlife to sustainable levels.
State of Endangered Species Event
The San Diego Zoo’s department of Conservation and Research for Endangered
Species (CRES) is hosting an inaugural scientific symposium called the “State
of Endangered Species” on March 30, 2006. It will be addressing the greatest threat to
African and Asian wildlife—the bushmeat crisis.
The commercial, unsustainable hunting and trafficking of wild animals for food, called “bushmeat,” has already resulted in widespread local extinctions in Asia and West Africa. The crisis is rapidly expanding to areas not previously at risk, largely due to an increase in commercial logging, creating roads linking forests and hunters to cities and consumers. Bushmeat is becoming available in cities throughout Africa and Asia, as well as the United States and Europe.
In addition to the immediate threat of extinction of many species, bushmeat brings the threat of disease transmission to a global realm. The hunting and consumption of bushmeat is increasingly linked to deadly diseases like HIV/AIDS, Ebola, SARS, the influenza virus, and foot and mouth disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately three-fourths of emerging human infectious diseases are caused by zoonotic pathogens.
The State of Endangered Species event, hosted by the Zoological Society of San Diego’s Conservation Ambassador Joan Embery, will feature scientists from numerous backgrounds and disciplines discussing their work to address the bushmeat crisis. Speakers will include representatives from the Bushmeat Crisis Task Force, Seafood Watch, CRES, WiLDCOAST, and the San Diego Zoo. Topics will range from African bushmeat market surveying to over-fishing in North American waters, the black market consumption of sea turtle eggs in the U.S. and Latin America, and the effects of illegal trade of Asian reptiles and amphibians.
The State of Endangered Species event is free-of-charge and open to public, but reservations are required as seating is limited. The event takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 30 at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for Conservation Research at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park. Call (619 ) 685-3207 by March 29 to reserve a seat.
