Participation of women and children in hunting activities in Sierra Leone and implications for control of zoonotic infections

Abstract

The emergence of infectious diseases of zoonotic origin highlights the need to understand social practices at the animal-human interface. This study provides a qualitative account of interactions between humans and wild animals in predominantly Mende villages of southern Sierra Leone. We conducted fieldwork over 4 months including participant and direct observations, semi-structured interviews (n = 47), spontaneously occurring focus group discussions (n = 12), school essays and informal interviews to describe behaviours that may serve as pathways for zoonotic infection. In this region, hunting is the primary form of contact with wild animals. We describe how these interactions are shaped by socio-cultural contexts, including opportunities to access economic resources and by social obligations and constraints. Our research suggests that the potential for exposure to zoonotic pathogens is more widely distributed across different age, gender and social groups than previously appreciated. We highlight the role of children in hunting, an age group that has previously not been discussed in the context of hunting. The breadth of the "at risk" population forces reconsideration of how we conceptualize, trace and monitor pathogen exposure.

Serology and Behavioral Perspectives on Ebola Virus Disease Among Bushmeat Vendors in Equateur, Democratic Republic of the Congo, After the 2018 Outbreak

“…Although many of the vendors present at the markets had reservations about participating in the study, the responses obtained from subjects highlight some important points and confirm observations from West Africa that attempts to control bushmeat sales and implementing regulations on eating and selling bushmeat have eroded public confidence, increased skepticism, and have unintended consequences for communities [ 15 ]. Although all subjects reported having heard about EBOV, and that the virus originates in wild animals, none of them considered themselves as being at any occupational risk of infection.…”

Saving rodents, losing primates—Why we need tailored bushmeat management strategies

“…This matches findings from Sierra Leone, where Muslims shunned certain species like wild boar, snakes, primates and rodents forbidden by Quran law as 'haram'. However, this was no reason to not kill and sell them (Bonwitt et al, 2017).…”

“…Moreover, consuming less bushmeat can also be connected to the belief that humans have a role in responsible leadership of life created by Allah (Gifford, 2012). Traditional taboos forbid hunting and consumption of primates and consumption of rodents, mirroring results from Sierra Leone (Bonwitt et al, 2017) and Madagascar, where many taboos centred on primates like lemurs, (Golden & Comaroff, 2015a, 2015b. A threat to this environmentally friendly habit is the missionary work of evangelist churches (Golden & Comaroff, 2015a), which have also in the Taï region influenced people to abandon their taboos (Bachmann et al, 2019).…”

Involving local communities for effective citizen science: Determining game species' reproductive status to assess hunting effects in tropical forests

“…This traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) probably starts from exposure to animals since childhood (da Cunha, 2009). At a very young age, children of both sexes are initiated into hunting practices via storytelling, and during puberty, young teens follow adults to hunts and assist in the butchering and cooking of animals (Bonwitt et al., 2017; MacDonald, 2007). This TEK on the reproductive cycles of species play a particularly important role in influencing the younger generation's capacity to detect and hunt animals, and can be used in local management strategies to avoid overhunting (Berkes, Colding, & Folke, 2000).…”