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ABSTRACT
Bush meat generally refers to the meat from wildlife source or undomesticated animals which are consumed in place of meat from domestic animals or livestock origin. There is a growing increase in the use of bush meats for economical and personal gain or as food which has become rather alarming in Nigeria. Uwa market is a well-known bush meat market in Benin City which supplies other smaller bush meat markets with bush meat as well as individuals who buy for personal consumption. Sampling was done thrice weekly between February and April, 2021, resulting in ten (10)visits to the market.Personal observations and oral interview was employed with photographs of specimens taken. The study identified 682 carcasses belonging to nine (9) species, which included grass cutter Thryonomis swinderianus (34%), antelope Philantomba monticola (31%), alligator Alligator mississippiensis (18%), porcupine Atherurus africanus (7%), tortoise Kinixys erosa (5.2%), bush pig Potamocheorus species (1%), white throated monkey Cercopithecus erythrogaster (0.7%) which is an endangered species and rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus (0.15%). The grass cutter was the most abundant while the rabbit was the least abundant. Prices ranged from as low as N 2,500 – 4,000 for the rabbit to N 30,000-50,000 for bush pig. The volume of sales of bush meat within the study period far negates the idea of sustainability and conservation coupled with the presence of juveniles observed in the samples at the market. There is an urgent need to address this by creating awareness on the need for sustainable harvesting and conservation of wildlife and possible rearing of these animals while enforcing laws relating to wildlife conservation.
