DOI: 10.5061/dryad.2q60r
title: Data from: Drivers of bushmeat hunting and perceptions of zoonoses in Nigerian hunting communities

description: Bushmeat hunting threatens biodiversity and increases the risk of zoonotic
 pathogen transmission. Nevertheless, limited information exists on
 patterns of contact with wildlife in communities that practice bushmeat
 hunting, especially with respect to social drivers of hunting behavior. We
 used interview responses from hunters and non-hunters in rural hunting
 communities in Nigeria to: 1) quantify contact rates with wildlife, 2)
 identify specific hunting behaviors that increase frequency of contact, 3)
 identify socioeconomic factors that predispose individuals to hunt, and 4)
 measure perceptions of risk. Participants engaged in a variety of
 behaviors that increased contact with wild animals, including: butchering
 to sell (37%), being injured (14%), using body parts for traditional
 medicine (19%), collecting carcasses found in forests and/or farms (18%),
 and keeping as pets (16%). Hunters came into contact with wildlife
 significantly more than non-hunters, even through non-hunting exposure
 pathways. Participants reported hunting rodents (95%), ungulates (93%),
 carnivores (93%), primates (87%), and bats (42%), among other prey.
 Reported hunting frequencies within taxonomic groups of prey were
 different for different hunting behaviors. Young age, lower education
 level, larger household size, having a father who hunts, and cultural
 group were all associated with becoming a hunter. Fifty-five percent of
 respondents were aware that they could contract diseases from wild
 animals, but only 26% of these individuals reported taking protective
 measures. Overall, hunters in this setting frequently contact a diversity
 of prey in risky ways, and the decision to become a hunter stems from
 family tradition, modified by economic necessity. Conservation and public
 health interventions in such settings may be most efficient when they
 capitalize on local knowledge and target root socio-economic and cultural
 drivers that lead to hunting behavior. Importantly, interventions that
 target consumption alone will not be sufficient; other drivers and modes
 of interaction with wildlife must also be considered.
description: Consumption
 DataConsumption data from
 questionnaire responsesPLOSdatabase_wildlifecontact1.xlsxPet dataData collected from questionnaire responses on animals kept as pets.PLOSdatabase_Pet.xlsxReasons for huntingData collected from questionnaire responsesPLOSdatabase_Reasons for hunting.xlsxZoonotic Disease AwarenessQuestionnaire responsesPLOSdatabase_DiseaseAwareness.xlsxBackground InformationQuestionnaire ResponsesPLOSdatabase_background.xlsxInjury DataData on animal injuries reported in questionnaire responsesPLOSdatabase_Injuries.xlsxWound DataData on butchering wounds reported in questionnaire responsesPLOSdatabase_Wound.xlsxHunting DataHunting specfic questionnaire responsesPLOSDatabase_HuntingBehavior.xlsxHunting Data-LifetimeData collected from questionnaire responses on animals hunted in an individuals lifetimePLOSDatabase_HuntingLifetime.xlsxConsumption Data-LifetimeData collected from questionnaire responses on animal consumption over a participants lifetime.PLOSDatabase_ConsumptionLifetime.xlsx