Western Kentucky University
Molecular Identification of Illegal Game Meat Utilization in Commercial Outlets in East Africa – Nairobi Case Study
Institution
Western Kentucky University
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Michael Stokes; Doug McElroy; Charles Kimwele
Abstract
Wildlife, traditionally viewed in East Africa as a dietary supplement, has become a key source of food and unofficial tender in the drive for human survival in eastern and southern Africa. Wildlife populations within and outside protected areas are being greatly impacted by the illegal killing of wildlife for meat; this is the so-called use and trade of “bush meat”. Within Kenya, a substantial illegal urban commercial trade is said to be evident, with hundreds of illegal traders operating in major towns including Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. Bushmeat is generally thought to be sold as beef or mutton to unaware customers. Such bushmeat is derived from illegal and unsustainable poaching. Once a carcass has been dressed and the meat de-boned, positive identification of meat as bushmeat is, in most cases, impossible. This presents a constraint in the control of illegal bushmeat trading. In 2004, the Born Free Foundation sponsored a study in Nairobi to assess the frequency with which bushmeat was sold in commercial butcheries as domestic meat. Because their results were suspect, based on the technique used and on species identified, we decided to validate their study using modern, DNA-based techniques, namely the sequencing of a 492 cytochrome B fragment which provides a species identification marker. Thus far we have analyzed 24 of our 104 samples, none of which have been determined to be bushmeat. This is in contrast to the Born Free Study, which identified upwards of 34% as bushmeat (25% as only bushmeat, 19% as both domestic and bushmeat).
Molecular Identification of Illegal Game Meat Utilization in Commercial Outlets in East Africa – Nairobi Case Study
Wildlife, traditionally viewed in East Africa as a dietary supplement, has become a key source of food and unofficial tender in the drive for human survival in eastern and southern Africa. Wildlife populations within and outside protected areas are being greatly impacted by the illegal killing of wildlife for meat; this is the so-called use and trade of “bush meat”. Within Kenya, a substantial illegal urban commercial trade is said to be evident, with hundreds of illegal traders operating in major towns including Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. Bushmeat is generally thought to be sold as beef or mutton to unaware customers. Such bushmeat is derived from illegal and unsustainable poaching. Once a carcass has been dressed and the meat de-boned, positive identification of meat as bushmeat is, in most cases, impossible. This presents a constraint in the control of illegal bushmeat trading. In 2004, the Born Free Foundation sponsored a study in Nairobi to assess the frequency with which bushmeat was sold in commercial butcheries as domestic meat. Because their results were suspect, based on the technique used and on species identified, we decided to validate their study using modern, DNA-based techniques, namely the sequencing of a 492 cytochrome B fragment which provides a species identification marker. Thus far we have analyzed 24 of our 104 samples, none of which have been determined to be bushmeat. This is in contrast to the Born Free Study, which identified upwards of 34% as bushmeat (25% as only bushmeat, 19% as both domestic and bushmeat).