African Brush-tailed Porcupine sold for meat in Cameroon

Bushmeat initially referred to the hunting of wild animals in West and Central Africa and is a calque from the French viande de brousse. Today the term is commonly used for meat of terrestrial wild animals, killed for subsistence or commercial purposes throughout the humid tropics of the Americas, Asia, and Africa. To reflect the global nature of hunting of wild animals Resolution 2.64 of the IUCN General Assembly in Amman in October 2000 referred to wild meat rather than bushmeat. A more worldwide term is game. The term bushmeat crisis tends to be used to describe unsustainable hunting of often endangered wildlife in West and Central Africa and the humid tropics, depending on interpretation. African hunting predates recorded history; by the 21st century it had become an international issue.^[1]

Many conservation organizations have come together to address the bushmeat crisis through the formation of the Bushmeat Crisis Task Force, whose mission is to build a public, professional and government constituency aimed at identifying and supporting solutions that effectively respond to the bushmeat crisis in Africa and around the world.

Hunting[link]

Endangered lemurs are killed for bushmeat in Madagascar

Bushmeat hunting is common in many parts of the world where hunting of animals from the wild is performed. The bushmeat trade refers to the sale of any wild species, though Western sources tend to focus on the trade specifically involving great apes. Though some bushmeat hunters have been targeting gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and other primate species, great apes constitute less than 1% of bushmeat from all species sold on the market. The high rate of harvest, combined with habitat loss and alteration, has led to very severe population declines; if this trend is unchecked, extinction is likely.^[2] The number of animals and great apes killed has distressed many conservationists and advocates of animal rights and great ape personhood.

The issue of bushmeat hunting is highly politicized, with little support for the practice outside the forests and cities where it is conducted. International efforts to stop it have been launched, especially in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. In the countries where the hunting occurs, orphaned apes are deemed unable to survive on their own, but also deemed too small to be worth shooting and cutting up. They are raised and returned to the wild as part of these efforts.

In Cameroon, where gorilla populations are especially endangered, the Wildlife Protectors Fund launched an education campaign to teach children about Koko the gorilla, who is part of a long-term psychology experiment in an American research sanctuary.

Contributing factors[link]

Logging concessions operated by European and Malaysian companies in African forests have been closely linked to the bushmeat trade. Because they provide roads, trucks and other access to remote forests, they are the primary means for the transportation of hunters and meat between forests and urban centres. Some, including the Congolaise Industrielle du Bois (CIB) in Republic of Congo, have partnered with governments and international conservation organizations to regulate the bushmeat trade within the concessions where they operate. Numerous solutions are needed; because each country has different circumstances, traditions and laws, no one solution will work in every location.

Effect on great apes[link]

Some species are legal to hunt and not endangered, and others not so. Only about 1% of the bushmeat trade is in ape meat.^{[citation needed]} However, the apes' small numbers and the attractiveness of hunting them (being a large animal, a gorilla can offer a good payoff for each cartridge) means the impact on hunting them is considerable. Orphans of the bushmeat trade are often sold as pets, as young apes do not have enough meat on them to eat. The Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA) is a member organization of sanctuaries that provide care for bushmeat orphans and education for local communities.

Armed conflict has a direct impact on the killing of great apes for bushmeat. This is largely because of the breakdown of law and order. A well-documented case was the killing and eating of mountain gorillas during the military insurrection around Virunga National Park in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in January 2007.

Apes reproduce relatively slowly, at about one-fourth the rate of most other mammals. A study in Gabon, the wealthiest country in the region, with 80% of its forest cover still in place, showed it had suffered at least a 56% decline in its ape population over 17 years.

Role in spread of diseases[link]

• Apes may harbour pathogens that can in theory affect humans. Ebola, for instance, may also be found in chimps, gorillas and bonobos, and might spread to humans by handling the meat and consumption of such great apes.
• African squirrels (Heliosciurus, Funisciurus) have been implicated as reservoirs of the monkeypox virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and their use as bushmeat may be an important means of transmission to humans.
• Research has shown that Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the virus which causes AIDS, originated from a similar virus in primates called Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV); researchers believe that HIV probably initially jumped into humans after people in Africa came into contact with infected bush meat.^[3] There are several distinct strains of HIV, indicating that this cross-species transfer has occurred several times.^[4]

Efforts at eradication[link]

The bushmeat trade is considered by some antiglobalization activists to be one of many ways in which globalization affects life on the planet, due to the lumber trade (as described in the Factors section above). There is no way (other than by researching the corporations involved, or their countries of origin) to tell which lumber has been produced in a way that assists the hunting of apes, and which has not. It has been suggested that the only way to eliminate the bushmeat trade might be industry-specific protocols, along the lines of the Harkin-Engel Protocol. Although some argue against Western interference with African culture, claiming that the West should take a value-neutral perspective on eating apes, many African cultures greatly respect or fear apes, and frown on their consumption. Some have suggested that the economic incentive to hunt bushmeat has led to an erosion of these traditional values, and that Western interference is therefore appropriate.^[1]

It has also been proposed by Dr. Peter Arcese, an associate professor of forest sciences at the University of British Columbia, that farming infrastructure needs to be created and the international exploitation of African fisheries needs to stop. The fisheries are being overfished by mainly EU-subsidized fleets and could collapse within a few decades. Reduced fishery landings in Africa increase demand for bushmeat, which is leading many species to face extinction, and a humanitarian crisis could easily follow. In some locations the biomass of mammals in parks has been reduced by 70% since 1967 because of bushmeat harvesting. Since wildlife monitoring is limited to a few countries, the full extent and future outlook of bushmeat is not currently known.^[5]

Causes of wildlife decline[link]

Small villages and indigenous communities in Amazonia, sub-Saharan Africa, and other tropical areas still rely heavily on plants and animals for life's necessities (housing, food, fuel) as they always have. The free availability of forest products has long been a sustainable buffer against poverty in tropical forest communities. But as human populations expand, populations of animals diminish, biodiversity decreases, and this relationship grows less sustainable worldwide. “The sad reality is that those who most depend upon wild sources of food are usually the ones who pay the heaviest price for biodiversity loss,” says Dr Susan Lieberman, Director WWF’s International Species Programme.TRAFFIC: The Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network

A major factor in the decline of tropical wildlife species is the harvesting of wildlife for sale, especially by outsiders. This practice flourishes as transportation to markets becomes easier. The wide availability of modern firearms ensures quick kills at the end of a hunt. New logging roads and motorized boats provide quick transport from deep forests to city markets. Markets in cities along the Amazon and other tropical rivers offer a bounty of forest and river animals, alive and dead, for meat, medicine, pets, or for blackmarket traders who will smuggle live animals into wealthy countries such as the United States for the pet trade or medical research.

See also[link]

• Gorillas
• Ape Action Africa
• Ape extinction
• Bushfood
• Country food
• Wildlife trade
• Poaching
• Endangered species
• Hunter-gatherer
• Gambian pouched rat
• Greater Cane Rat
• Cane Rat
• Illegal logging
• Overfishing

References[link]

External links[link]

• Bushmeat Crisis Task Force
• Blog on bonobos and bushmeat in Congo
• Bushmeat Trade - Threat of Primate Extinction : Save The Primates
• The Bushmeat Research Programme of the Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London
• The bushmeat trade. POSTnote 236. Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, UK.
• Ape Alliance - Bushmeat Working Group
• Pan African Sanctuaries Alliance
• BBC News article about trying to prevent the illegal import of Bushmeat to the UK
• Bushmeat Briefings
• Photographs of bushmeat from KarlAmmann.com
• Oil and Bushmeat
• Bush Meat Campaign
• Bushmeat is commonly taken back to the towns after rural visits in Africa
• The wildlife trade monitoring network

v t e Ape-related articles Ape species Human Bonobo Common chimpanzee Gorilla Orangutan Gibbon Ape study Ape language Great Ape Trust Dian Fossey Birutė Galdikas Jane Goodall Chimpanzee genome project Human genome project Neanderthal genome project Willie Smits Lone Drøscher Nielsen Borneo Orangutan Survival Legal and social status Personhood Research ban Kinshasa Declaration Great Ape Project Survival Project See also List of apes (non-human) Bushmeat Ape extinction List of fictional primates Human evolution Mythic humanoids Hominid

William Robert "Will" Young (born 20 January 1979) is a British singer-songwriter and actor^[1] who came to prominence after winning the 2002 inaugural series of the British music contest Pop Idol, making him the first winner of the now-worldwide Idols-format franchise. His debut single, "Anything is Possible", was released two weeks after the show's finale and became the fastest-selling debut single in the United Kingdom.

As a teenager, Young studied politics at the University of Exeter before moving to London, where he pursued a musical theatre degree at the Arts Educational School. Although enrolled in a three-year programme, Young put his studies on hold in late 2001 to become a contestant on Pop Idol. After winning the competition the following year, he released his debut album From Now On (2002) which went to straight to number one. Friday's Child (2003) followed one year later and enjoyed greater popularity, eventually going platinum five times in the UK and spawning three top five singles. Achieving similar success, the album's successors include the multi-platinum Keep On (2005) and platinum Let It Go (2008) with his most recent release Echoes (2011) becoming his third UK number-one album.

In addition to his string of platinum-selling albums, Young has embarked on numerous tours, acted on film, stage and television, participated in philanthropy and authored the two books Anything is Possible (2002) and On Camera, Off Duty (2004). Established in the music industry, his albums have spawned many songs that have accomplished top ten positions in the UK: four of which went to the number one spot. His success as a singer has been proved by his accumulation of multiple awards, including 2 BRIT Awards from 12 nominations, and the estimated worldwide sale of over eight million albums.^[2] Young's net worth was estimated at £13,5 million in April 2012.^[3]

Early life[link]

Young was born in Wokingham, Berkshire, with a fraternal twin, Rupert Maxwell Young. He also has an elder sister Emma. He had a pleasant childhood and has often spoken about his happy memories of this time. Young was educated at three independent schools: Horris Hill School near the village of Newtown in Berkshire and from the age of thirteen, at Wellington College in Crowthorne, also in Berkshire, and at D'Overbroeck's College in Oxford.^[1] He then studied at the University of Exeter in Exeter, Devon, where he read Politics and graduated with a 2:2 honours degree. In September 2001, he became a student at the Arts Educational Schools in Chiswick, London, starting a three-year course in musical theatre with a scholarship.^{[citation needed]}

Music career[link]

[edit] Pop Idol and touring (2001–02)

In February 2002, Young came to national prominence by winning the ITV television programme contest Pop Idol. Contrary to press claims of being the underdog, after having beaten the widely accepted front-runner Gareth Gates in the final show, it emerged that Young had in fact gained the most votes in six out of the nine rounds of public voting. This was published in the Pop Idol book, which was released shortly after the programme.

In early 2002, Young joined his fellow Pop Idol contestants in a nationwide arena tour. The final concert at Wembley was in aid of the Prince's Trust, of which Young is an ambassador, together with Gareth Gates and Darius Danesh, the runner-up and third-placed contestant in Pop Idol. In June 2002, Young performed at the Queen's Jubilee Concert in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, singing "We Are the Champions" with Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor.^[4]

During July 2002, Young sang at two concerts with the renowned songwriter Burt Bacharach at Hammersmith Apollo and at the Liverpool Summerpops event. In August 2002, he performed at the closing ceremony of the 2002 Commonwealth Games, singing "I Get the Sweetest Feeling" in the pouring rain. He was praised by the announcer, Grandmaster Flash, who said that it was not easy entering a talent show. November 2002 brought an appearance at the Royal Command Performance.^[5] In November 2003, Young performed the wartime song "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square", accompanied by the Squadronaires, at the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

The songs Young sang on Pop Idol were:

From Now On (2002–05)[link]

Young's first single was a double A-side featuring Westlife's song "Evergreen" and "Anything Is Possible", a new song written for the winner of the show by Chris Braide and Cathy Dennis. In March 2002, this became the fastest-selling debut in UK chart history, selling 403,027 copies on its day of release (1,108,659 copies in its first week). It went on to sell over 1.7 million copies, and on the official list of the all-time best-selling singles in the UK issued later that year, it was ranked eleventh. In 2008, Official Charts Company released the Top 40 Biggest Selling Singles of the 21st century (so far) in which Will's version of Evergreen topped the chart.^[6] On 31 December 2009, Radio 1 confirmed that "Anything Is Possible"/"Evergreen" was the biggest selling single of the 2000s decade in the United Kingdom.This was again confirmed on 7 May 2012 when Radio 1 played a countdown of the top-selling 150 songs of the millenium so far. ^[6] "Anything is possible" won an Ivor Novello Award for Bestselling Song of 2002.

In October 2002, Young released his debut album, From Now On, which included "Evergreen" nominated in the Best single category in 2003 at the BRIT Awards and "Anything Is Possible". It produced three singles: "Light My Fire", "The Long and Winding Road" (a duet with Gareth Gates, released as a double A-side with Gates's song "Suspicious Minds") and "Don't Let Me Down"/"You and I" (released in aid of Children in Need). He won his first BRIT Award in February 2003 as Best Breakthrough Artist.^[7]

[edit] Friday's Child and Keep On (2003–06)

Young's second album, Friday's Child, was released in December 2003. It features the singles "Leave Right Now", nominated in the Best British single category of the past 25 years at the 2005 BRIT Awards and winner of the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically in 2004, "Your Game" (which won Young his second BRIT Award in 2005)^[8] and "Friday's Child" In November 2005, Young released his third album, Keep On, which included the single "All Time Love", nominated in the Best British Single category at the 2007 BRIT Awards. Other singles from the album were "Switch It On" and "Who Am I".

Young at Guilfest in 2009

In May 2006, he sang at the Prince's Trust 30th Birthday, which took place at the Tower of London.^[9] From 12 September until 2 October 2006, Young toured the UK with his Keep On Live tour, which included the songs taken from his album Keep On and a selection of past songs. The official merchandise range for the tour, highlighted by the press, included a "tip and strip" pen which, when turned over, reveals Young in his underpants. In October 2006, Young sang at Nitin Sawhney's concert in the BBC Electric Proms series of concerts. He followed this by performing in South Africa for Nelson Mandela's Unite of the Stars charity concerts.^[10]

In July 2007, he appeared at the Concert for Diana at the new Wembley Stadium. Young was the headline act at the Proms in the Park,^[11] which took place in Hyde Park in September 2007 as part of the Last Night of the Proms. In September 2007, Young performed at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club with the Vanguard Big Band. Young took part in the Little Noise Sessions, a series of intimate, acoustic gigs for the learning disability charity, Mencap. He performed in November 2007 with special guests at Islington's Union Chapel.

[edit] Let It Go and Greatest Hits (2008–10)

On 29 September 2008, Young's fourth album, Let It Go, was released. It peaked at Nº2 in the album charts, having been preceded by the single "Changes", which was released on 15 September and peaked at Nº10 in the UK Singles Chart. His next single "Grace" was released on 1 December 2008, and peaked at Nº33 on the UK Singles Chart.^[12] The third single taken from the album, "Let It Go", was released on 2 March 2009 in the UK, and peaked at Nº58 on the UK Singles Chart.^[13][14] The fourth and final single, "Tell Me the Worst", was released in the UK only, on 5 July 2009. It served as a club promo, and featured some Fred Falke remixes.^[15]

Young performing at Guilfest in 2009

In April 2008, Young again appeared at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club with the Vanguard Big Band. Young is to perform at various festivals during mid 2008, including Glastonbury, T In the Park^[16] in Scotland and Bestival^[17] on the Isle of Wight.

On 24 August 2008 Young appeared at the Olympic Party which took place in the Mall, London. He performed his latest single Changes and I Can See Clearly Now, which was originally sung by Johnny Nash.^[18] On an interview with Digital Spy, Will Young revealed that he was working on a Dance-Pop album, which might be released in late 2009. He also confirmed that he was working with British duo Groove Armada, Superbass, who remixed his UK Top 10 single "Changes", and Gregg Alexander, who has previously worked with British pop singers Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Geri Halliwell. He also confirmed that he is working on an album covering songs by Noël Coward, which is as yet in its very early stages and he "doesn't know if it will end up".^[19] Young performed in a sell-out theatre tour, commencing on 16 November 2008 and continuing until 13 December 2008 with two dates at the Roundhouse in Camden, London.

Young was the featured singer on the X-Factor programme on ITV1 on Saturday 1 November 2008. He also mentored the remaining contestants.^[20] On 31 December 2008 Young was featured as a guest on Elton John's Live New Year show at the O2 Arena in London. He joined Sir Elton in the song Daniel. Young was one of the performers at the BBC's "Live at Blackpool" programme on BBC Radio 2 on Saturday 5 September 2009.^[21]

Young's greatest hits collection was released on 16 November 2009. It included two brand new songs, one of them the single "Hopes & Fears". The album was a success on the charts, being certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry.^[22] In 2010 Will Young collaborated with Groove Armada on their album Black Light, singing vocals on the track 'History'. As part of his 2010 outdoor summer tour, it was announced that he would be a special guest and play on the Queen's Sandringham Estate, Sandringham in Norfolk.^[23] Pop singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor was his supporting act for his 2010 tour.^[24]

Recently his 2003 song "Leave Right Now" has been featured on American Idol as the "departing song".^[25] He also performed live on the programme on 25 May 2010. Young gave his first U.S. concert on 26 May at West Hollywood's Ultra Suede nightclub.^[26] He was also featured on the cover of the U.S. magazine Instinct.^[27]

[edit] Echoes (2011–present)

In early 2011, Will tweeted teaser clips of tracks from his new album, 'Echoes', which was subsequently released on 22 August 2011 and entered the UK Album charts at No. 1 on 29 August 2011 making it Youngs first number one album since "Friday's Child" in 2003. The first single is called 'Jealousy', and premiered on BBC Radio 2, between 9.00am-12noon, Monday 11 July 2011, as confirmed on Will's Facebook page. The single was released on 21 August 2011, preceding the album by 1 day with the single peaking at No.5. "A Night With...Will Young" was aired two days before the release of Echoes on ITV1 presented by Kate Thornton charting all of Young's greatest hits plus performing a few new tracks from the album. Young appeared on the third episode of the Jonathan Ross Show performing a track from Echoes to further promote the album. Will has announced a brand new 23 date UK tour including 2 nights at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire.

Other ventures[link]

Acting career[link]

Young added acting to his repertoire when he accepted a role in the BBC film Mrs. Henderson Presents,^[28] starring Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins, in which he played Bertie. The film was released in the UK in November 2005 to excellent reviews—not least for Young's performance as both actor and singer in the film. The scene, in which Young appears naked, postdated his "absolutely thrilled" acceptance of the British male Rear of the Year Award 2005, an accolade to add to the Most Stylish Male Music Star, Best Bod, Sexiest Star, Best Dressed and Best Hair awards he had already won.

Young trod the boards in the Royal Exchange Theatre's production of The Vortex by Noël Coward. This production ran from January to March 2007 and Young played the leading role of Nicky Lancaster. Critics, including Nicholas de Jongh, were very positive.^[29]

In October 2007 Young narrated an audio version of the Roald Dahl novel Danny, the Champion of the World.

Young also appeared in the Marple drama The Mirror Crack'd From Side To Side and guest starred in an episode of Skins in 2010.^[30][31]

In 2011, he starred in a new drama series on Sky Living called Bedlam, about supernatural happenings taking place at a disused asylum being converted into loft-style apartments. The £3 million six-part series began airing on 7 February 2011. It was distributed by BBC Worldwide.^[32]

In November 2004, Young presented a documentary entitled Runaways^[33] as part of the Children in Need campaign, highlighting the problems facing distressed teens who run away from home, and the plight they were in being picked up off the streets and railway stations by pimps who offered them work and drugs. The children did not know where to go for immediate help unless they were picked up by the police and sent to a refuge centre.

During June 2007 a series of documentaries entitled Saving Planet Earth was shown on BBC Television. Young filmed an episode about saving the gorillas of West Africa during his visit to Africa earlier in the year.

In March 2009, ITV1 arts programme, The South Bank Show presented an hour long fly on the wall documentary about Young that they had been filming over the course of the year as he returned to promote the Let It Go album. It showed him in Iceland filming the video for the Let It Go single, backstage before his performance on The X Factor and on his UK theatre tour from November 2008 amongst other segments.^[34]

Young has been made a "Companion" of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.^[35]

Young was a guest on Top Gear during season 12 episode 2 and was the fastest wet lap around the track in the Chevrolet Lacetti.

Young is making a documentary about Ralph Fiennes production of Shakespeare's Coriolanus which is being filmed in Serbia. He also has a small role in the film as well as being Executive Producer.^[25]

In August 2011, ITV based an hour-long programme on Young, entitled "A Night with Will Young". This was to promote the release of his most recent album, Echoes.

31 October 2011, Will was the guest host of Never Mind The Buzzcocks.

Other work[link]

On 27 October 2008, Young spoke on Celebrity at the Oxford Union, where he showed an interest in forming a band named 'Will Young and the Credit Crunchers'.^[36] he was invited to appear on Question Time after he revealed he was a fan of the show.^[37] He participated in the edition from Dunstable, Bedfordshire, in February 2009 and March 2012^[37]

Young supports the charity Women's Aid, about which he wrote: "I am proud to put my name beside this cause, and hope that I might be able to help more people affected by the terrors of domestic violence, as well as help to create a wider awareness within our society."^[38]

Young also supports Mencap—about which he wrote, "I'm very much in this for the long term, and I'd like to help continue to break down peoples' misconceptions and prejudices"—, The Children's Society Safe and Sound Campaign, and Positive Action Southwest (PASW),^[39] for which he performed at his first solo concert, in July 2003, at Killerton House, Exeter.

Young has been an ambassador for the Prince's Trust since 2002, and performed at the 30th anniversary concert in the grounds of the Tower of London.

Together with Dame Helen Mirren, Helena Bonham Carter and Martin Freeman, Young appeared in a series of advertisements during the Christmas period 2007 for Oxfam; "Oxfam Unwrapped".

Young is the ambassador for Mood Foundation, a charity which aims to build a database of private therapists and alternative therapies to treat various types of depressive conditions. It was set up by Young's twin brother Rupert Young.^[40]

Young is an ambassador for Catch22,^[41] a UK young people's charity, which supports young people in tough situations. The young people may come from tough upbringings or districts, where poverty, crime and unemployment are common features. They may be leaving care, truanting, or have been excluded from school. Some of them have started getting into trouble with the police or may have got as far as custody.^[42] In April 2011 Young ran the London Marathon for Catch22.^[43]

Personal life[link]

In March 2002, Young revealed that he is gay, pre-empting a tabloid newspaper that was preparing to out him. He also stated that he had never hidden and was comfortable with his sexuality.^[44][45]

Discography[link]

• From Now On (2002)
• Friday's Child (2003)
• Keep On (2005)
• Let It Go (2008)
• Echoes (2011)

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Will Young discography at Discogs.
• Will Young at the Internet Movie Database.
• Will Young Tour Review on the Daily Music Guide, 6 November 2008.
• Interview with Will Young on the Daily Music Guide, 8 November 2008.

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