Is That a Rodent in Your Luggage? A Mixed Method Approach to Describe Bushmeat Importation into the United States

Abstract

Bushmeat, defined as meat derived from wild animals, is a potential source of zoonotic pathogens. Bushmeat from restricted animals is illegal to import into the United States under US federal regulations. We reviewed US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) port of entry surveillance records from September 2005 through December 2010 and conducted focus group studies to describe trends in and reasons for bushmeat importation into the United States. In total, 543 confiscated bushmeat items were recorded. Half of the confiscated bushmeat items identified were rodents. Africa was the most frequent continent of origin. Seasonality was evident, with bushmeat confiscations peaking in late spring to early summer. Four times more bushmeat was confiscated during an enhanced surveillance period in June 2010 compared with the same period in previous years, suggesting that routine surveillance underestimated the amount of bushmeat detected at US Ports of Entry. Focus groups held in three major US cities revealed that bushmeat importation is a multifaceted issue. Longstanding cultural practices of hunting and eating bushmeat make it difficult for consumers to acknowledge potential health and ecologic risks. Also, US merchants selling African goods, including bushmeat, in their stores have caused confusion among importers as to whether importation is truly illegal. Enhancing routine surveillance for bushmeat and consistent enforcement of penalties at all ports of entry, along with health education aimed at bushmeat importers, might be useful to deter illegal importation.

Characterization of illegal food items and identification of foodborne pathogens brought into the European Union via two major German airports

“…Other studies have focussed on the effect of illegal bush-meat imports on public health and nature conservation (Chaber et al, 2010;Bair-Brake et al, 2013;Smith et al, 2012). In our study, the species origin of the confiscated meat items was not analysed due to the large sample number.…”

“…In general, the risk of introduction of bush-meat into Germany seems low. The Central and Western African Republics appear to be the main sources of bush-meat (Chaber et al, 2010;Bair-Brake et al, 2013). The immigrant population from these regions in Germany was only approx.…”

Aplicación de la CITES para especies usadas como carne de monte y sus impactos sobre los medios de vida en Colombia

“…Los intercambios transfronterizos operan en puntos geográficos específicos, principalmente en tres lugares de la región amazónica, y en uno de la región Caribe. Esta forma de comercio internacional difiere sustancialmente del comercio a larga distancia, que se da por ejemplo desde África hacia Francia y Estados Unidos (Bair Brake et al 2014;Chaber et al 2010). …”

Analyse de situation de l'UICN concernant la faune terrestre et d'eau douce en Afrique centrale et de l'Ouest

“…De même, les espèces de plus petite taille, libérées de la concurrence et de la pression de prédation (leurs concurrents et prédateurs naturels étant chassés à faible densité) peuvent trouver favorables les conditions suscitées par une forte pression de la chasse, occasionnant souvent une augmentation de leur densité au niveau local, ce qui a des répercussions sur l'écologie de la zone concernée ). Même si la chasse est une source potentielle de revenus importants, elle ne permet généralement pas aux ménages de s'enrichir ; par contre, les revenus issus de la chasse peuvent être utilisés en partie pour l'achat d'articles (comme les cigarettes et l'alcool) qui ne contribuent pas à la sécurité alimentaire des ménages africaine dans les aéroports, et des actions en justice occasionnelles contre les négociants dans les villes européennes), les données disponibles confirment que les volumes exportés sont loin d'être négligeables (Chaber et al 2010, Bair-Brake et al 2014). …”