What Is Bushmeat And Why Is It Banned In America?

Buying, cooking, and consuming meat can be a complicated process. It is not just about which cuts of meat to avoid at Costco or reasons why pre-sauced meats at restaurants should be avoided. Health and safety play a huge part in choosing what kind of meat to eat and determining how it should be cooked and stored for safe consumption.

Although multiple kinds of meat are illegal in the United States, they are typically described under one umbrella term known as bushmeat. Essentially, bushmeat is meat that comes from wild animals that do not meet health or safety standards, particularly those that carry diseases that could potentially spread to human beings. Typically, bushmeat is not very well processed or cooked, which increases the chance of foodborne illness.

Bushmeat includes but is not limited to rodents, monkeys, apes, elephants, pangolins, crocodiles, snakes, and bats. It also refers to meat that comes from specific parts of the world where health guidelines are not as strict or enforced. Overall, bushmeat either comes from a place or an animal that likely does not meet American safety standards.

Bushmeat is a category that encompasses many types of meat. It can range anywhere from reptiles and amphibians to birds and primates, big and small. Certain wild animals are excluded from the bushmeat category, such as wild boar or deer, which are often referred to as wild game. Part of this distinction comes from the fact that these animals are native to America and have health guidelines to match, while other meats such as rodents or monkeys that come from developing nations are not commonly consumed in the U.S. and are not vetted for disease. 

Although importing bushmeat is illegal in America, this is not to say that it is not commonly consumed in other places. Bushmeat is commonly consumed in African, Latin American, and Asian cuisines, particularly in highly remote areas ill-suited for raising cattle and other livestock. Despite this, bringing bushmeat into America is considered a crime and any bushmeat brought into the United States is typically destroyed.

The major concern with bushmeat is human health. Typically, bushmeat is not very well processed; in some cases, it is even consumed raw. Processes like smoking or salting help reduce the potential for illness, which is something bushmeat greatly lacks. Given that bushmeat tends to include less common types of meat, the lack of processing can be especially dangerous as there are fewer laws and regulations, if any, related to these types of meat.