Story

Huaorani: Bushmeat Trade in Ecuador Rainforest

March 15, 2011 | PRI's The World
By
Dan Grossman

The market known as the Pompeya market occurs every Saturday in Pompeya, Ecuador. Image by Dan Grossman. Ecuador, 2011.

The Pompeya bushmeat market is situated on the banks of the Napo river, which is a tributary of the Amazon. Image by Dan Grossman. Ecuador, 2011.

People travel long distances to shop at the bushmeat market. Image by Dan Grossman. Ecuador, 2011.

The nearest town to the market is Coca, also known as San Francisco de Orellana. Image by Dan Grossman. Ecuador, 2011.

Wild game, known as bushmeat in Africa, is consumed as a delicacy in some regions of Ecuador. Image by Dan Grossman. Ecuador, 2011.

Locals hunt the animals in the Yasuni forest and sell them in the bushmeat market. Image by Dan Grossman. Ecuador, 2011.

Despite efforts to preserve Yasuni's complex ecosystem, indigenous people are profiting from hunting the animals. Image by Dan Grossman. Ecuador, 2011.

Monkeys are the third most common animal at the market after the African pouched rats and blue duikers. Image by Dan Grossman. Ecuador, 2011.

The remote forests of Yasuni National Park in Ecuador are home to rich and varied wile life such as peccaries, which are medium-sized mammals resembling pigs. Image by Dan Grossman. Ecuador, 2011.

A man sells tortoise at the market. Image by Dan Grossman. Ecuador, 2011.

The increasing prices of bushmeat are making hunting more profitable for hunters. Image by Dan Grossman. Ecuador, 2011.

Scientists fear Ecuador's rainforest is under threat from the bushmeat trade and illegal commercial hunting by the native Huaorani.