Illegal bushmeat is unregulated, unhygienically prepared and dangerous to eat. Unsuspecting members of the public who consume this unsafe product are at risk of contracting several diseases. Illegal traders often misrepresent and sell meat as a preferred species (e.g. buffalo or impala) when it could be any number of species that have been illegally caught (e.g. zebra, hyena or even dog).

Illegal possession of wild meat carries a sentence of up to 7 years in prison under the Zambia Wildlife Act No. 14 of 2015. The illegal bushmeat trade is reported to be the biggest threat to wildlife populations in Zambia and the region, over and above the ivory and rhino horn trade. Killing methods such as snaring are silent and indiscriminate, harming many species of our Zambian wildlife.

Economically, this illegal trade threatens national parks and undermines the potential growth of the tourism and legal game farming industry. In neighboring countries such as South Africa and Namibia, legal game farming provides jobs, income and opportunities for the re-generation of wildlife populations to restock national parks.

Join the movement against this dangerous trade threatening our nation. When offered bushmeat ask for legal papers to prove its origin. Only choose legal game meat to be safe and support our Zambian wildlife populations.