At that rate, the region's population of 3,000 will be wiped out quickly. Melloh then recruited a few others who are now also subsidized by Western donors. They hope to demonstrate that living primates are worth more money than dead ones. One hundred bucks can have a big influence. Punishing people is difficult in Africa.
Central authority is frequently corrupt or weak.
At least a dozen countries are beset by war, genocide and famine, causing economic struggle. The country's greatest wealth is locked into their natural resources. The petroleum market collapsed in the 1980s leaving two stable markets, forests and mines. European logging consortiums sign 30-year contracts for huge tracts of virgin forests that yield wood veneers for furniture and luxury car interiors. Rather than import food, these companies encourage hunters to sell bush meat to the thousands of loggers residing in muddy shantytowns.