Bushmeat
Across the globe, wild animals are being hunted for food – both to feed local people, and to provide meat for a thriving commercial trade. The meat of wild animals, commonly known as “bushmeat,” supplies protein to people in rural areas where meat from domesticated animals can be scarce and expensive. However, the human demand for bushmeat beyond that needed for local sustenance is outstripping the supply in many parts of the world. Excessive, unregulated, and uncontrolled bushmeat hunting is unsustainable and threatens the survival of habitats and species. The Service has addressed this pressing threat in a number of ways, including providing support for anti-poaching efforts, finding alternative sources of protein and income for people living along-side wildlife, and offering guidance to local people on sustainable hunting practices.

Human-Wildlife Conflict
As human populations grow, there is more and more competition with wildlife for limited essential resources. This results in conflict between humans and animals over habitat, food and survival. Instances of crop-raiding, the killing of livestock, and attacks on humans who live alongside wildlife habitat, continue to grow as humans convert land for agriculture, grazing pasture, human settlement, and exploitation of natural resources. To address this threat, the Service’s international programs support innovative technologies to mitigate or alleviate conflict between wildlife and humans, as well as practices that save endangered wildlife while simultaneously taking into consideration the needs of local people.

Wildlife Disease
Transmission of wildlife diseases can severely impact both human and wildlife populations. Not only can diseases travel from wildlife to humans (such as Ebola) but they can also transfer from humans to wildlife, and from one species of wildlife to another. Uncontrolled disease epidemics have the potential to wipe-out entire populations of wildlife in short periods of time, and cause significant health and economic loss to humans. The Service’s international program initiatives help avert and respond to disease outbreaks, such as projects conducting disease research, wildlife population health monitoring, disease containment, and education campaigns for humans who come into contact with wildlife.