Wild meat trade has moved to TikTok

IN Togo and much of West Africa, wild meat remains an important part of daily life, valued for its taste, cultural traditions, and as a source of income for those who sell it.

- ANGIE ELWIN, DELAGNON ASSOU and NEIL D’CRUZE

It is often seen as a luxury food in urban centres, commanding higher prices than domesticated meat. This risks driving higher demand. Wild meat is openly sold in urban markets and at roadside stalls throughout Togo, with vendors catering to both local customers and passing travellers.

In rural areas, it is common to see dead rodents, pythons and cobras displayed by the roadside, ready to be purchased by people visiting from the city. However, both legal and illegal trade in wild meat pose serious challenges to biodiversity, animal welfare and public health. Much of it is unregulated and involves hunting, selling and consumption of wild animals. Many of these species are threatened or declining, raising urgent conservation concerns.

In recent years, traders in West Africa have used social media to advertise wild meat directly and connect with customers. Platforms like TikTok and Facebook act as online storefronts linked to physical markets, enabling sellers to reach much larger audiences than they would have by selling at traditional stalls. This change is bringing new, often urban, buyers into the market and altering how wild meat is sold and the overall scale of the trade.

Wildlife researchers Angie Elwin, Delagnon Assou and Neil D’Cruze have been studying the trade in wild animals in west Africa. They wanted to understand the emerging challenges in Togo’s wild meat trade and chose to study TikTok videos because the platform has become a highly visible hub for openly advertising wild meat in Togo.

Analysing these videos gave them the opportunity to document which species were being sold, their market value, and the related conservation risks.