“Bush meat" warning for Kenya visitors

Tourists to Kenya have been warned that they may unwittingly be eating “bush meat” – that is, animals such as monkey, giraffe or antelope – when they think they have ordered beef. According to the BBC website, quoting a report from the Born Free Foundation, Nairobi has been identified as a “bush meat hotspot” that represents a serious risk to the region’s wildlife, and that many butchers in the Kenyan city do not know what type of meat they are buying or selling. The foundation reportedly surveyed more than 200 butchers in Nairobi before releasing its findings. A spokesman is quoted as saying: “The statistics suggest that nearly half the meat bought and sold from the 202 butcheries in the survey is either entirely or partly bush meat.” The BBC reports that, in addition to the threat to animals posed by the trade, there are concerns for humans as well: the spread of diseases such as anthrax and Ebola has been blamed on human consumption of wild, rather than domestic, animals. Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd