The bushmeat crisis remains one of the main contributors to the endangerment of primates to this day. Although the bushmeat crisis hints at the rapid depletion of wildlife around the world, the continents of Africa and Asia are hardest hit. In fact, this dire scenario poses a greater threat to wildlife than more widely debated issues such as deforestation and the rapid expansion of the human population like never before. The reason why this becomes a never-ending problem is due to the extreme poverty in these countries. Therefore, these animals are not only poached for financial income, but also to provide basic but cheap, protein-rich food to poor people. Although the next word, “bushmeat,” simply refers to any wild animal killed for the purpose of eating its meat, in this case I will be talking about the illegal hunting of chimpanzees and monkeys in the Congo. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay First, this problem lies strictly in the emergence of the expansion of the human population in Congo (i.e. say an annual growth rate of 3.3%). This therefore results in a significant demand for food. Furthermore, if we take into account poverty, it is obvious that obtaining “bush meat” will always be practiced on a large scale until it is truly addressed. After all, Congo's GDP (Gross Domestic Product) per capita is only $444.51 (INF). It is also important to note that the consumption of monkey and chimpanzee meat is said to have medicinal value equivalent to that of high status or wealth. For example, in Africa, high-end individuals such as multitudes of government officials, tourists, and foreigners tend to view this meat as a delicacy. Additionally, the greatest demand for “bushmeat” comes primarily from commercial hunters who typically work in industrial occupations and hunt any animals they come across. Finally, the meat is then dried and distributed around the world. In particular, the Congo Basin is one of the main regions where "bush meat" is commonly harvested. In fact, it is the second largest tropical rainforest in the world, with 6 million tonnes of “bushmeat” harvested here each year (Tworoski). In addition to the threat of extinction facing African wildlife due to the “bushmeat” crisis, there is also a risk of disease transmission. For example, great apes are just as affected by the Ebola virus as humans. Ebola can be transmitted to humans through contact with contaminated meat and consumption of bush meat is believed to be a cause of Ebola outbreaks in humans. With 180,000 pounds of bushmeat smuggled into the United States each year, this problem could quickly affect all of us (Stanford). Another reason why the “bushmeat” trade is still alive today is due to the current state of the forestry industry. This is because companies are moving into the Congo region to build roads in an effort to provide easy transportation between two previously inaccessible regions full of wildlife and urban markets. Additionally, the logging industry tends to pay its workers several minimum wages to encourage them to hunt not only for financial gain, but also to survive. Finally, this results in more capture.