Consumer perceptions and reported wild and domestic meat and fish consumption behavior during the Ebola epidemic in Guinea, West Africa

The handling, capturing, butchering, and transportation of wildmeat can increase the risk of zoonoses, including the Ebola virus disease (EVD). Guinea, West Africa, experienced a catastrophic outbreak of EVD between 2013-2016. This study aimed to understand local people’s sources of information concerning EVD, their perceptions of potential wildlife carriers of EVD and their meat and fish consumption behavior during this period. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 332 participants in two urban centers (N=209) and three villages (N=123) between January 3 to March 30, 2015 in the prefecture of Lola in southeastern Guinea. Chi-square analyses revealed that, in rural areas, awareness missions represented the main source of information about EVD (94.3%), whereas in urban settings such missions (36.1%), as well as newspapers (31.6%) and radio (32.3%) were equally mentioned. Bats (30.1% and 79.4%), chimpanzees (16.3% and 48.8%) and monkeys (13.0% and 53.1%) were the most commonly cited potential agents of EVD in both rural and urban areas respectively, while the warthog (2.3% rural and 6.5% urban), crested porcupine (1.7% rural and 10.7% urban), duiker (1.19% rural and 2.6% urban) and the greater cane rat (1.1% rural and 9.5% urban) were also cited but to a lesser extent. However, 66.7% of rural respondents compared to only 17.2% in the urban area did not consider any of these species as potential carriers of the Ebola virus. Nonetheless, a fifth of our respondents reported not consuming any of these species altogether during the EVD outbreak. Among all seven faunal groups mentioned, a significant reduction in reported consumption during the Ebola outbreak was only noted for bats (before: 78.3% and during: 31.9%) and chimpanzees (before: 31.6% and during: 13.5%). Automatic Chi-Square Interaction Detection (CHAID) analysis revealed that the belief that bats or chimpanzees were associated with EVD or not had a significant effect respectively on their non-consumption or continued consumption during the EVD outbreak. However, only 3.9% of respondents reported shifting to alternative protein sources such as domestic meat or fish specifically to avoid EVD. Only 10.8% reported consuming more domestic meat during the EVD outbreak compared with before; affordability and availability were the main reported reasons for why people did not consume more domestic meat and why two thirds reported consuming more fish. While increased domestic meat consumption was linked to the belief that duikers, the most commonly consumed wildmeat before the epidemic, were associated with EVD, increased fish consumption was not predicted by any EVD related factors. Our study revealed deep-rooted false beliefs among rural respondents and constraints when it comes to access to alternative protein sources such as domestic meat. Our findings emphasize the urgent need for greater consideration of the relationship between socio-economic context, food security, and public health

Distribution du colobe vert olive ( Procolobus verus) au Bénin (Afrique) et menaces pesant sur sa conservation

Le colobe vert olive (Procolobus verus), le plus petit de tous les colobes, est peu documenté au Bénin. De 2008 à 2010, des investigations ont été menées dans le but de déterminer la distribution actuelle de ce singe au Bénin ainsi que les formes et la gravité des menaces pesant sur l'espèce. Pour y parvenir, des enquêtes ont été menées auprès des populations riveraines de 88 villages et de vendeurs de parties et produits d'animaux. Par ailleurs, des prospections ont été menées dans 16 forêts. Les résultats indiquent que le colobe vert olive n'est pas aussi rare qu'on le pensait : sa présence a été confirmée sur des sites où elle n'était pas confirmée auparavant. Son aire d'occurrence actuelle s'étend du sud au nord du Bénin entre 6°30 et 9°45 latitude nord et couvre une superficie de 25 403 km2. Les formes de pression qui pèsent sur la survie du colobe vert olive au Bénin sont les perturbations diverses sur les habitats créées par les activités humaines notamment la chasse de subsistance et l'agriculture extensive. Au regard de ces menaces et du fait du manque de protection du colobe vert olive, une priorité doit être accordée à la conservation de l'espèce