In Congo, part-time hunters boost income with bushmeat

In Congo, part-time hunters boost income with bushmeat

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Once a month, Mohamed Esimbo Matongu leaves his home in the western Congolese city of Mbandaka and hunts for wild animals.

Though he works for a government agency, he says he needs the income from selling most of what he kills to provide for his family. But bushmeat hunters like him are emptying Central Africa's forests at a high rate, researchers say. "When I was a teenager, I had to travel no more than 10 km (6 miles) upriver to find animals. But now I have to go as far as 40 km to come across a decent hunting ground," said 61-year-old Matongu.

. Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters/Thomas Nicolon
Sadate (right) and Papy paddle along a small river on their way to their campsite in the forest.

When he goes hunting, he rents a dugout canoe and a couple of paddles, and packs a homemade rifle, a dozen cartridges and enough kwanga, a traditional bread made from cassava, to last a few days.

. Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters/Thomas Nicolon
Matongu carries thatch, which he will use for the roof of his hut, back to his campsite which lies deep in the forest.

He stays in a cabin on a tributary of the Congo river and roams the forest day and night in search of whatever quarry he can find, including monkeys, forest antelopes, crocodiles, pythons and river hogs.

. Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters/Thomas Nicolon
Boats filled with bushmeat arrive at Lingunda market. Several hundred men and women wait to buy meat before selling it.

Until the 1990s, hunters like Matongu killed for personal consumption, but growing appetite for wild meat in cities has ramped up the scale of hunting.

The impact on wildlife numbers is clear, according to locals and researchers.

Research shows around 6 million tonnes of bushmeat are sourced annually from the Congo Basin, whose forest spans across six countries and is second in size only to the Amazon.

"Our surveys show that animals from many species are disappearing around villages," said Michel Bakanza, who works on community forests for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Mbandaka.

. Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters/Thomas Nicolon
Bonobo meat is offered for sale at a market in Mbandaka. Bonobos are endangered and despite most marketplaces not selling the meat openly, it is still possible to buy on request.

Many animals, including bonobo apes and pangolins, are protected by international law, but a lack of government oversight means these endangered species are regularly killed.

Matongu says his monthly salary of about $75 is not enough to cover the needs of his wife, four daughters, two brothers and nephew who live under his roof. "How am I supposed to provide for so many people? Sometimes I don't even get paid at the end of the month," he said. "This is Congo: we try to do whatever we can to make it."

. Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters/Thomas Nicolon
Hunter Celestin sits on his bed with his wife and daughter.

For other hunters, like Celestin, a conservation student in Mbandaka who asked not to be named in full, the need to make ends meet in one of the world's poorest countries can override concerns about the animals. "Hunting some species is prohibited, I know that, but it allows me to pay my university fees and provide for my family,” he said.

. Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters/Thomas Nicolon
Matongu offers half a monkey to paddlers on the Ruki river.

After a few days hunting in the forest, Matongu sells most of what he killed - making from 5,000 to 100,000 Congolese francs (around $7 to $60) – and keeps just enough meat for his family for a couple of days.

. Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters/Thomas Nicolon
A WWF billboard listing protected species stands in front of a bushmeat market.

His catch goes to Mbandaka's markets, where thousands congregate every Friday to buy bushmeat from incoming barges.

. Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters/Thomas Nicolon
Crocodile and monitor lizard meat are displayed for sale at a market.

Stands are filled with trussed crocodiles and monitor lizards, as well as freshly killed monkeys, antelopes and other species.

Thomas Nicolon was a 2018 Reuters photojournalism grant winner. Click on the names to see the stories by the other grantees, Manuel Seoane, Ekaterina Anchevskaya, Nicky Woo and Loren Elliott.

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Slideshow

A poacher carrying bushmeat on his back, is detained by park rangers in Salonga National Park. Hunting is prohibited in national parks, which means wildlife is more abundant so poachers often hunt inside the protected areas to find animals with greater ease.
. Salonga, Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters/Thomas Nicolon

A poacher carrying bushmeat on his back, is detained by park rangers in Salonga National Park. Hunting is prohibited in national parks, which means wildlife is more abundant so poachers often hunt inside the protected areas to find animals with greater ease.

Pascal returns to camp after spending the night hunting and killing a red-tailed monkey and its baby.
. Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters/Thomas Nicolon

Pascal returns to camp after spending the night hunting and killing a red-tailed monkey and its baby.

Sadate shoots at a heron he spotted while paddling on the Ruki river.
. Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters/Thomas Nicolon

Sadate shoots at a heron he spotted while paddling on the Ruki river.

Matongu, Sadate and Papy return to their campsite empty-handed after a night hunting in the forest.
. Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters/Thomas Nicolon

Matongu, Sadate and Papy return to their campsite empty-handed after a night hunting in the forest.

Papy walks through a swamp, looking for wildlife, as he hunts.
. Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters/Thomas Nicolon

Papy walks through a swamp, looking for wildlife, as he hunts.

Papy holds a baby red-tailed monkey which a hunter caught after killing its mother.
. Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters/Thomas Nicolon

Papy holds a baby red-tailed monkey which a hunter caught after killing its mother.

The hunters and their children rest at night after paddling for eight hours to get to their campsite.
. Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters/Thomas Nicolon

The hunters and their children rest at night after paddling for eight hours to get to their campsite.

Women arrive at Wenzi Socli market.
. Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters/Thomas Nicolon

Women arrive at Wenzi Socli market.

People travel along a road in the city of Mbandaka.
. Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters/Thomas Nicolon

People travel along a road in the city of Mbandaka.

A woman displays smoked fish for sale in Mbandaka's Lingunda market.
. Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters/Thomas Nicolon

A woman displays smoked fish for sale in Mbandaka's Lingunda market.

A monitor lizard is displayed for sale.
. Mbandaka, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the. Reuters/Thomas Nicolon

A monitor lizard is displayed for sale.

A man cuts off the head of a crocodile he bought at the market before holding a barbecue with friends at his house.
. Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters/Thomas Nicolon

A man cuts off the head of a crocodile he bought at the market before holding a barbecue with friends at his house.

A man eats a python meat dish in a restaurant.
. Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters/Thomas Nicolon

A man eats a python meat dish in a restaurant.

Mohamed and his family eat the monkey that was killed in the forest, in their home in Mbandaka.
. Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters/Thomas Nicolon

Mohamed and his family eat the monkey that was killed in the forest, in their home in Mbandaka.

A surrogate mother carries a baby bonobo which was rescued from poachers in Lola ya Bonobo sanctuary in Kinshasa.
. Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters/Thomas Nicolon

A surrogate mother carries a baby bonobo which was rescued from poachers in Lola ya Bonobo sanctuary in Kinshasa.

A schoolgirl observes baby bonobos which were rescued from poachers in Lola ya Bonobo sanctuary.
. Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters/Thomas Nicolon

A schoolgirl observes baby bonobos which were rescued from poachers in Lola ya Bonobo sanctuary.