Vulnerable Populations vs. Vulnerable Wildlife
By Christopher Albon, February 13th, 2008,
The always enjoyable blog, New Security Beat, reports on a growing poaching problem in Tanzania. Interestingly, the poachers are not criminals after Ivory, but refugees after protein. Refugees in Tanzania have started eating local wildlife as a source of protein, sorely lacking in their UN provided food. The problem is that the refugees’ free protein often comes from chimpanzees and other endangered species.
In response to the report’s assertions, Christiane Berthiaume of the UN World Food Programme, which feeds 215,000 refugees in Tanzania, said that meat spoils quickly, and substituting canned meat for the cheaper beans that currently supply the refugees with protein would cost an additional $46 million over the estimated $60 million currently dedicated to feeding refugees in Tanzania during 2007 and 2008.
Christopher is a Ph.D. student at the University of California, Davis. His research focuses explores the relationship between armed conflict and public health. He lives in San Francisco with his wife Jen. Read more about him at his website.
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