{"id":314,"date":"2026-05-30T11:09:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T11:09:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=314"},"modified":"2026-05-30T11:09:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T11:09:07","slug":"as-ebola-scourges-congo-experts-warn-of-link-to-eating-wild-animals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=314","title":{"rendered":"As Ebola scourges Congo, experts warn of link to eating wild animals"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) \u2014 The vendors of wild meat at the sprawling Masina Market in the Congolese capital don\u2019t always display their goods openly. Customers must ask for whatever they\u2019re looking for, whether it is a giant swamp rodent or the severed parts of an antelope.<\/p>\n

Read more WHO chief lands in eastern Congo\u2019s Ituri province, epicenter of Ebola, as outbreak outpaces response<\/a><\/p>\n

Others occasionally sell in the open, like the women who preside over impossibly large baskets of squirming caterpillars at the market in Kinshasa.<\/p>\n

For many in Congo and elsewhere in Central and West Africa wild meat is a craving and a key part of the cultural milieux. Even a disease as punishing as Ebola, currently ravaging a remote part of eastern Congo<\/span>, has failed to stem demand for wild meat from the Congo Basin<\/span>, an expansive forested ecosystem sometimes called Earth\u2019s second lung. <\/p>\n

The Congo Basin is rich in all kinds of wildlife, from great apes to serpents \u2014 both of which are hunted for their meat. One consequence for locals is exposure to zoonotic diseases such as Ebola<\/span>.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Although Ebola is generally not spread by food<\/span>, cases in Africa have been associated with hunting, butchering and processing meat from infected animals, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce there is human, animal and environment interface, we have these kinds of outbreaks on a frequent level,\u201d said Dr. Tolbert Geewleh Nyenswah of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. \u201cAnd this is why one health approach in dealing with virus outbreaks is important, because we still interact with the bats, and our hunters are still killing monkeys, and we are close to the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The link between wild meat and Ebola<\/h2>\n

The Congolese government has confirmed more than 1,000 suspected cases<\/span>, with at least 220 deaths, since it declared an outbreak of Ebola on May 15. It appears the virus spread undetected for weeks, and the World Health Organization suspects it is much larger than what has been reported.<\/p>\n

Ebola, named for a tributary of the Congo River, was first discovered in 1976 in simultaneous outbreaks in Congo and present-day South Sudan. Outbreaks are believed to start with the virus spilling over into humans from an infected animal such as a fruit bat. These cross-species infections often happen when people handle and eat wild meat, experts say. <\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

But since Ebola outbreaks happen only sporadically in communities that regularly eat wild meat, some people \u201cdon\u2019t believe the linkage\u201d and others are \u201ctotally ignorant\u201d of the health threat from eating wild meat, said Dr. Misaki Wayengera, a microbiologist who advises Uganda\u2019s Ministry of Health on epidemics.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is very difficult to change some of these core practices,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Locals have paid a heavy price for occasional outbreaks of Ebola, whose bloody symptoms can terrorize entire villages and cause many to believe they are under an evil spell. <\/p>\n

The Ebola virus is responsible for 17 outbreaks in Congo and many others elsewhere in the region. The deadliest outbreak, in West Africa between 2014 and 2016, infected an estimated 28,000 people and killed more than 11,300. <\/p>\n

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization \u2014 which studied the Ebola risk stemming from the eating and handling of wild meat after West Africa\u2019s epidemic \u2014 animal-to-human spillovers of Ebola are rare, but \u201ctheir consequences are nonetheless disastrous.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Once Ebola has infected one person, the virus then spreads through close contact with sick or deceased patients\u2019 bodily fluids, such as sweat, blood, feces or vomit. Health workers without sufficient protective gear are seen as highly vulnerable.<\/p>\n

The current outbreak in eastern Congo is caused by the Bundibugyo virus<\/span>, a rare type of Ebola that has no approved medicines or vaccines.<\/p>\n

Read more Rescuers work to free 4 men who remain trapped in flooded Laos cave and search for 2 still missing<\/a><\/p>\n

The outbreak is occurring in a part of Congo that also faces armed violence by rebel groups and the displacement of large numbers of people fleeing the violence.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

A need for education<\/h2>\n

While Congolese authorities have prohibited hunting endangered wildlife, including great apes sent to the brink of extinction by poachers, there is no blanket ban on the wildlife trade and illegal hunting persists for totemic creatures like the bonobo<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Many in and around the Congo Basin have wild meat as their primary source of animal protein. The yearly extraction rate of wild meat from the Congo Basin is estimated at 4.5 million tons, according to the Center for International Forestry Research.<\/p>\n

Viande de brousse, as wild meat is known in French, is a popular food, even served in trendy restaurants. That\u2019s intensified pressure on the dwindling resources of the Congo Basin. Despite the ongoing biodiversity losses, the Congo Basin remains the world\u2019s largest carbon sink<\/span>, surpassing the Amazon in its ability to capture and store carbon.<\/p>\n

Public health campaigners need to step up education campaigns on how Ebola starts and is spread among communities that face recurring outbreaks, said Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, founder of the Uganda-based Conservation Through Public Health group.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

People need to be told that \u201ceating meat from an unknown source, or a dead animal, is a no-no,\u201d Kalema-Zikusoka said. \u201cIt\u2019s a very cultural thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some fruit bats are believed to be natural hosts of the viruses that cause Ebola, according to the WHO. Yet bats are known to be a delicacy in many parts of Central and West Africa. The soup of a roasted fruit bat<\/span> is highly sought after, as are the parts of a wide range of monkeys.<\/p>\n

In Kinshasa\u2019s Masina Market one recent morning, before the latest Ebola outbreak, traders said they sold antelope, rodent and snake meat sourced from the Congo Basin.<\/p>\n

They said they long ago stopped selling the meat of monkeys, possible reservoirs of the Ebola virus.<\/p>\n

One vendor, Guyva Mputu, was selling python, whose frozen flesh started to steam in the humid weather. <\/p>\n

Another, Charles Ntanga, wielded a flywhisk to swat flies that settled on the rancid carcass of a giant rodent, with a kilogram going for about $17. Ntanga said he gets clients from all walks of life. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe sell wild meat,\u201d he said. \u201cWe make our lives through this business.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Associated Press writer Mogomotsi Magome in Johannesburg, South Africa, contributed to this report. <\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

For more on Africa and development: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/africa-pulse<\/span><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP\u2019s standards<\/span> for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Read more Israeli soldiers share rare accounts from Gaza, describing ongoing killings despite the ceasefire<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For many in Congo and elsewhere in Central and West Africa, there is no shame in craving wild meat, a key part of the culture. Even a disease as terrifying as Ebola, which is currently ravaging a remote part of eastern Congo, has failed to stem demand for wild meat emerging from the Congo Basin. The Congo Basin is an expansive forested ecosystem rich in wildlife from great apes to serpents \u2014 both of which are hunted for their meat. Although Ebola is not spread by food, cases in Africa have been associated with hunting, butchering and processing meat from infected animals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"yoast_head":"\nAs Ebola scourges Congo, experts warn of link to eating wild animals - Top Moving Pros<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=314\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"As Ebola scourges Congo, experts warn of link to eating wild animals - Top Moving Pros\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For many in Congo and elsewhere in Central and West Africa, there is no shame in craving wild meat, a key part of the culture. Even a disease as terrifying as Ebola, which is currently ravaging a remote part of eastern Congo, has failed to stem demand for wild meat emerging from the Congo Basin. The Congo Basin is an expansive forested ecosystem rich in wildlife from great apes to serpents \u2014 both of which are hunted for their meat. Although Ebola is not spread by food, cases in Africa have been associated with hunting, butchering and processing meat from infected animals.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=314\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Top Moving Pros\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-30T11:09:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=314#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=314\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d120f8ae15027244cf4e8ea553e290f8\"},\"headline\":\"As Ebola scourges Congo, experts warn of link to eating wild animals\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-30T11:09:07+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=314\"},\"wordCount\":1126,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=314#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/2b96528d7f01d78f5aa9d325eec9cc26-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"World News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=314#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=314\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=314\",\"name\":\"As Ebola scourges Congo, experts warn of link to eating wild animals - Top Moving Pros\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=314#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=314#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/2b96528d7f01d78f5aa9d325eec9cc26-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-30T11:09:07+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d120f8ae15027244cf4e8ea553e290f8\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=314#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=314\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=314#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/2b96528d7f01d78f5aa9d325eec9cc26-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/2b96528d7f01d78f5aa9d325eec9cc26-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"Guyva Mputu, a vendor at the Masina market, displays bushmeat for sale in Kinshasa, Congo, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo\\\/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=314#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"As Ebola scourges Congo, experts warn of link to eating wild animals\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Top Moving Pros\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d120f8ae15027244cf4e8ea553e290f8\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"As Ebola scourges Congo, experts warn of link to eating wild animals - Top Moving Pros","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=314","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"As Ebola scourges Congo, experts warn of link to eating wild animals - Top Moving Pros","og_description":"For many in Congo and elsewhere in Central and West Africa, there is no shame in craving wild meat, a key part of the culture. Even a disease as terrifying as Ebola, which is currently ravaging a remote part of eastern Congo, has failed to stem demand for wild meat emerging from the Congo Basin. The Congo Basin is an expansive forested ecosystem rich in wildlife from great apes to serpents \u2014 both of which are hunted for their meat. Although Ebola is not spread by food, cases in Africa have been associated with hunting, butchering and processing meat from infected animals.","og_url":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=314","og_site_name":"Top Moving Pros","article_published_time":"2026-05-30T11:09:07+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=314#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=314"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d120f8ae15027244cf4e8ea553e290f8"},"headline":"As Ebola scourges Congo, experts warn of link to eating wild animals","datePublished":"2026-05-30T11:09:07+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=314"},"wordCount":1126,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=314#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2b96528d7f01d78f5aa9d325eec9cc26-scaled.jpg","articleSection":["World News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=314#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=314","url":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=314","name":"As Ebola scourges Congo, experts warn of link to eating wild animals - Top Moving Pros","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=314#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=314#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2b96528d7f01d78f5aa9d325eec9cc26-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-30T11:09:07+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d120f8ae15027244cf4e8ea553e290f8"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=314#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=314"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=314#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2b96528d7f01d78f5aa9d325eec9cc26-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2b96528d7f01d78f5aa9d325eec9cc26-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707,"caption":"Guyva Mputu, a vendor at the Masina market, displays bushmeat for sale in Kinshasa, Congo, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo\/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=314#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"As Ebola scourges Congo, experts warn of link to eating wild animals"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/","name":"Top Moving Pros","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d120f8ae15027244cf4e8ea553e290f8","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/topmovingpross.com"],"url":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=314"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}