Bushmeat
-
- January
- 6
It’s not a term you hear very often in the Hudson Valley, bushmeat. It’s a reference to meat from the bush, meaning the wild.
“In Africa, forest is often referred to as ‘the bush’, thus wildlife and the meat derived from it is referred to as ‘bushmeat’ (in French – viande de brousse). This term applies to all wildlife species, including threatened and endangered, used for meat including: elephant; gorilla; chimpanzee and other primates; forest antelope (duikers); crocodile; porcupine; bush pig; cane rat; pangolin; monitor lizard; guinea fowl; etc.”
The above comes from the Bushmeat Crisis Task Force, a Washington, D.C. group which works to “eliminate the illegal commercial bushmeat trade through the development of a global network that actively supports and informs nations, organizations, scientists and the general public.”
Locally, bushmeat is the target of legislation state Assemblyman Greg Ball, R-Patterson, plans to introduce.
The practice of importing bushmeat is currently unregulated and
has been challenged in court cases.
“Having worked to protect animals and a lifelong conservationist
at heart, I was appalled to learn about this practice. The trade in bushmeat is unregulated, may contribute to health problems, and threatens rare species. This issue, while maybe not life threatening to most New York
families, is an important sub-issue that requires immediate attention,” Ball said.
Bushmeat has been in the news lately because of a Staten Island woman who tried to smuggle endangered monkey meat from Africa to New York.
The AP photo shows elephants in Kenya.
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, January 6th, 2009 at 12:21 pm by Mike Risinit.
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Journal News staff writer Greg Clary writes Earth Watch, reporting on environmental issues in the lower Hudson region. Clary has been a reporter, editor and columnist at the Journal News since 1988 and has covered police and courts, transportation, municipal government, development and the environment in the Lower Hudson Valley, among other topics. 
Laura Incalcaterra covers the environment, open space and zoning and planning issues for The Journal News. A Boston College graduate, Laura grew up in Rockland, attended East Ramapo schools and has worked for The Journal News since 1993. Laura has written features and covered North Rockland, crime, government and a host of other issues.
Mike Risinit covers Patterson and Kent in Putnam County, as well as environmental topics touching on the Hudson River and the Great Swamp. Risinit has been a reporter at The Journal News since 1998.
