Source: Africa Publicity
Local UK media outlet GB News has reported that a recent police raid in London uncovered illegal bushmeat, including rat and antelope flesh, renewing concerns about the smuggling and sale of protected wild animal meat in Britain.
The report has sparked fresh debate over the illegal bushmeat trade, with fears that meat from wild animals is being smuggled into the UK and sold through underground networks.
Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, alleged that meat from monkeys, sharks, antelopes and goats is being brought into Britain in passenger luggage, including from what he described as “critically endangered species.”
“I’m not sure when monkey became a delicacy in this country,” Mr Yusuf said.
“This is the Britain the Tories and Labour have created.”
According to Yusuf, illegal bushmeat is also being marketed through social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, with sellers reportedly offering home delivery services to customers across London.
Bushmeat remains popular among some African and Asian communities, where it is regarded as a traditional delicacy or used for cultural and medicinal purposes.
As an example of the growing concern, Yusuf pointed to a recent enforcement operation in southeast London that resulted in the seizure of 11 kilograms of illegal bushmeat.
In April, officers from the Metropolitan Police, working alongside the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the Met Police’s Peckham Rye Safer Neighbourhood Team, raided a property in Peckham where they recovered bushmeat that included rat and antelope flesh.
The discovery has intensified concerns among authorities over the health, environmental and conservation risks associated with the illegal importation and sale of bushmeat in the United Kingdom.
