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Ghanaians are great lovers of bush meat, the source of protein for about 70% of the population, especially those in rural areas. However,the state is losing millions of dollars annually for failing to institute measures to regulate the trade in bush meat consumed locally and valued at $270 million a year. This is far more than the revenue timber exports generated last year. Currently, commercial export of bush meat is non-existent because of lack of facilities to process the meat to acceptable hygienic standards of foreign countries. The worry of many is that all of the revenue estimated for wild meat is officially unrecorded. To say it differently, all the revenue goes into individual pockets due to loose regulation and monitoring. For instance, none of the individuals a traveller comes across on major highways, such as the Accra-Kumasi road, selling bush meat accounts for it by way of tax. Speaking to Weekend Finder on the issue, Mr Joseph Yaw Oppong, Assistant Public Relations Officers of the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission (FC), said the only form of direct revenue accruing to the state is realised from game licensing. He explained that the license fee depends on the type of animals a hunter applies to kill. According to him, an existing mechanism for regulating the hunting of wild animals is the �Close Season� initiative of the Wildlife Division of the FC. He explained that the �Close Season,� which usually falls between August 1 and December 1, is an annual ban on hunting and collection of wild animals. The period is said to be the breeding season of most of the animals and the only animal that can be killed is the grasscutter. Mr Oppong explained that the commission has given license booklets to District Assemblies to be issued to bush meat traders. Under the arrangement, the assemblies would keep 80% of the revenue generated through the permit and pay 20% to the Consolidated Fund. However, he said, most of the assemblies have failed to issue the permits to traders; instead, some have overstepped their bounds and printed their own bush meat conveyance tickets to avoid paying the 20% to government. Mr Oppong explained that most hunters do not register their weapons because they use locally manufactured guns, which are illegal under the laws of Ghana. He announced that license fees are under review to reflect appropriate rates. Since hunters need permit from the police before going to the Forestry Commission for license, they fear arrest by the police, and therefore do not attempt to go through the registration process. He explained that there are 59 endangered mammal species, some of which continue to be offered on the market for bush meat consumption. Traders speak The current scare of the Ebola virus is gradually affecting the patronage of bush meat in some parts of Accra. The low patronage follows speculations that the deadly Ebola virus may be contracted from bush meat such as chimpanzees and bats. As a result, the sale of bush meat, which used to be a booming business, is not flourishing. Some traders interviewed stated that they get the meat to sell from some very qualified and experienced hunters from places mainly like Worawora and Jasikan in the Volta Region as well as Dodowa and Akuapem in the Eastern Region. They said they buy them from the hunters at prices ranging from GH₵13 to GH₵80 depending on the size, type or the bargaining they have with them (hunters). The traders mentioned that they make quite some good profits when they come down to Accra to sell simply because consumers cherish the meat and are always prepared to spend money on them for their meals. However, they said their biggest challenge now is that the business has totally collapsed, and appealed to the Ministry of Health to educate the people that bush meat is wholesome. �The hunters at first would call some of us anytime they have some of the bush meat at their disposal, but they don�t even bother going for hunting since they got to know about our ordeal. �The stock I have inside my deep freezer is still intact and as you can see I have not sold anything since morning and this is how the situation has been like over the past few weeks,� one of the traders told the Weekend Finder. Some of them said they have now cleared all they have stored in their refrigerators and would want to rather smoke them so they do not become stale and unwholesome. �We pay a yearly license of GH₵50 to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), but as we are told they are not the right body to address this issue; we are told it is the Ministry of Health, so we are humbly looking up to them, other than that, the worst would soon be glaring in our faces,� they added. Currently, about 384,000 metric tonnes of wild meat is estimated to be sold annually in Ghana. A study alluded to by the Wildlife Division of the FC indicates that the value of wildlife for an area of 30 square kilometres is US$140,000. Bush meat harvesting, processing and trade have long been a source of livelihood for many homes in both rural and urban Ghana. Bush meat hunting and trade serves as a household income for many people and constitute an important component of the national economy. The bush meat industry comprises a number who form the chain, including hunters, market women at different levels (wholesalers and retailers), �chop bar� operators as well as a number of helpers who depend on continuous availability of bush meat. The popularity of bush meat in Ghana and the high demand for this resource put a lot of pressure on wild animal populations. The present state of the wild animal populations as well as the methods and the rate of exploitation make it unsustainable and this may lead to extinction of most species. Available evidence suggests that the nutritional content of fresh bush meat compares favourably with domestic meat. Methods of preservation There are three basic methods of preserving bush meat. These are smoking, salting and biltong. The method of preservation used depends on the area and the culture of the people, as well as the availability of resources. For example, biltong is used when there is availability of sunshine and salt. Among the methods, the traditional methods of smoking is the most suitable and accepted in most cultures despite its limitations such as high soot content in some cases. Wild animals hunted may be consumed, sold locally or transported to urban markets, where they fetch higher prices. Factors which determine which species are sold or consumed include the size of the animal, cultural inhibitions as well as personal or public appeal and demand. The high demand for bush meat and its cost, compared to other sources of protein, has created a situation where the hunter delights in selling his catch than eating it. The income derived from hunting is often spent on cheaper protein (usually poorly preserved fish), with the savings used to meet other expenses. Bush meat harvesting and trading has created other industries such as the sale of firearms and ammunition. Perhaps, what is unknown to many Ghanaians is that these revenues from the sale of grasscutter (akrantie), antelopes, rats, snails, birds, etc rub shoulders with, and even outstrip, annual revenues from timber and minerals.