page_title: Environmental issues in Liberia
section_title: Poaching of endangered species for consumption as bushmeat
hierarchical_section_title: Environmental issues in Liberia / Poaching of endangered species for consumption as bushmeat
caption_attribution_description: Szeged zoo
context_page_description: Environmental issues in Liberia include the deforestation of tropical rainforest, the hunting of endangered species for bushmeat, the pollution of rivers and coastal waters from industrial run-off and raw sewage, and the burning and dumping of household waste.
  Like other countries Africa, Liberia is also especially vulnerable to climate change, exacerbating existing environmental issues.
context_section_description: Endangered species are hunted for human consumption as bushmeat in Liberia. Species hunted for food in Liberia include elephants, pygmy hippopotamus, chimpanzees, leopards, duikers, and monkeys. Forest rangers in Liberia say that bushmeat poachers will kill any forest animal they encounter.
  Bushmeat is widely eaten in Liberia, and is considered a delicacy. A 2004 public opinion survey found that bushmeat ranked second behind fish amongst residents of the capital Monrovia as a preferred source of protein. Of households where bushmeat was served, 80% of residents said they cooked it "once in a while," while 13% cooked it once a week and 7% cooked bushmeat daily. The survey was conducted during the last civil war, and bushmeat consumption is now believed to be far higher.
  Poachers hunt protected species inside Liberia's national parks, including the Sapo and Gola rainforest parks. The poachers mostly hunt using snares and wire traps. The head of conservation at the Liberian government Forest Development Authority said when interviewed that a single hunter may set between 200 and 300 traps and not return to them for two to three weeks - leaving the caught animals to a prolonged death. Bushmeat is often exported to neighboring Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast, despite a ban on the cross-border sale of wild animals.
  It is illegal to kill protected species like chimpanzees and elephants in Liberia. However, forest rangers are not allowed to carry guns, and are understaffed. Prosecution of poachers is also hampered by weak anti-poaching legislation.
caption: Pygmy hippos are among the species illegally hunted for food in Liberia.[1] The World Conservation Union estimates that there are fewer than 3,000 pygmy hippos remaining in the wild.[2]
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