Hunters in Boki Local
Government Area of Cross River, where bush meat is largely sourced from, say they are facing hard times because of lack of patronage.
The hunters told The Tide last Sunday that bush meat consumers in the state were now scared of patronising them for fear of contracting the dreaded Ebola virus disease.
They also said that they were now afraid of venturing into the bush in search of animals, because of the virus which could be transmitted to humans by fruit bats, monkeys and apes.
Mr. Basil Edum, a retired soldier who has been hunting for 13 years, said that the outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Nigeria had badly affected hunting in the state.
Edum said that the business of hunting had become non-lucrative since the outbreak of the virus.
“I have been in this hunting business since I retired from the Nigeria Army 13 years ago, but because of the Ebola disease outbreak, I have stopped hunting for now.
“The Ebola virus scare has affected our hunting business; my customers no longer demand for bush meat because everyone is scared of eating bush meat now.
“Hunting had been a lucrative business for me because I don’t shoot and miss; I use to kill at least two grass cutters every night I hunted,” he said.
Another hunter, Mr Kenneth Abang, said that everybody in the area was now aware of the danger of the virus and the situation had forced him to stop hunting.
Abang said: “We heard that the virus can also be contracted through eating bush meat from monkeys, bats and other wild animals.
“Unfortunately, the people in this village have stopped eating bush meat of all kinds.’’
He, however, appealed to government to conduct more awareness programmes to enable the people to know more about the deadly virus.
A meat seller, Mrs. Elizabeth Odok, also lamented the situation, describing it as very serious.
“People now laugh at me, when they see me with meat, as if I am carrying poison,” Odok said.
Our correspondent also gathered that hawkers of bush meat in Calabar metropolis have disappeared.
A resident, Mr. Lawrence Mpama, said: “I used to be a high consumer of bush meat but now I go for either cow meat or fresh fish.”