1. African game meat and the safety pertaining to free-ranging wildlife: example of a wild suid in South Africa

Abstract

Wildlife is the primary source of animal and zoonotic diseases and of major importance to the agricultural and public health sector since these diseases cause production and financial losses, including mortalities among livestock animals, while zoonotic diseases cause debilitating illnesses or death in humans. As the global wildlife-livestock-human interface is expanding and growing more complex, the possibility of pathogen transmission among these agents is expected to increase. Hunting and game meat consumption are important activities among many societies, with wild species often being translocated and introduced by humans for these purposes. However, intentionally introduced species may become naturalized and disperse within the surrounding area, providing pathways for potential disease transmission among hosts. The common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) has been extra-limitally introduced to reserves and ranches across the country including the former range of the extinct Cape warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus). The species are popular for recreational and trophy hunting and have traditionally been hunted and consumed as game meat, similarly to the introduced feral pig. Warthogs are associated with a number of important animal and zoonotic diseases, such as African swine fever and bovine tuberculosis, with the potential to act as a wild reservoir. This raises serious concerns as the species are not restricted by standard fencing and move freely among natural and agricultural lands, with their distribution range expanding across South Africa. This review summarizes the pests and pathogens associated with common warthogs, current disease control measures in South Africa and the implications for human consumption of warthog meat.