THE news that HIV comes from chimpanzees (LET, February 1) is further evidence of the dangers of Africa's escalating trade in meat from wild animals - known as bush meat.

It confirms that the bush meat trade is not only threatening the survival of chimpanzees, but is also a serious danger to humankind.

Investigations by the World Society for the Protection of Animals have shown how chimpanzees, along with other endangered species, are being hunted commercially on a daily basis.

The meat, which is sold at prices above that of farmed species, is supplied by workers in logging concessions and distributed widely to markets in towns and cities.

The growth of logging in this region, which has opened access to huge areas of previously inaccessible areas, has been the main contributory factor in enabling this trade to flourish.

Now that the link with HIV has been established, more pressure than ever should be applied to ensure that governments throughout west and central Africa take action to control the timber trade and prevent the widespread killing of protected species.

The discovery that the origins of HIV lie in man's closest living relative provides yet another compelling reason why the bush meat trade cannot be allowed to continue.

JONATHAN OWEN WSPA spokesman, Langley Lane, London SW8.

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