Beverley
Beekeepers' Association
The local
Beekeeping Association for East
Yorkshire
Evening
Meeting 20/10/08
Talk by Juliet Wright
“Lebialem Hunters’ Beekeeping Initiative”
Juliet
first explained her interest in primates and then went on
to tell us about the bush meat trade. She had spent some
time in Cameroon studying the trade and looking after
orphaned chimpanzees. Animals of the African forests have
always been hunted for food on a subsistence level but now
animals are being hunted, butchered, smoked and sold as a
cash source, finding their way into urban markets and even
Europe. This is not sustainable and many species are
already endangered.
The Lebialem Hunters’ Beekeeping Initiative has been set up
in the southwest province of Cameroon to train hunters to
become beekeepers to provide an alternative income based on
honey and beeswax. Two hunters have been trained to teach
others in beekeeping skills. We saw pictures and films of
training in hive construction (Nigerian top bar hive), and
the various processes of collecting and preparing honey and
wax. Emphasis was being given to marketing and the
establishment of a brand to develop quality and trust.
It was decided to donate our evening’s raffle and
refreshments money to Lebialem Hunters’ Beekeeping
Initiative.
For those who missed the talk there are more details
on
www.bee4bushmeat.org.