LONDON, March 3 (UPI) -- A British coalition of animal welfare groups and environmental health advocates want a clampdown on so-called "bushmeat" from Africa.
The coalition marked its launch with the publication of an opinion poll conducted for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, which said there is strong public concern over illegal meat imports.
The coalition says recent outbreaks of diseases like SARS and avian influenza have increased concerns in Britain about zoonotic illnesses, those that can pass from animals to humans, the BBC said Wednesday.
Bushmeat, mainly from Africa, is the meat of animals from rats and antelopes and also highly endangered gorillas and forest elephants.
The coalition quoted the U.K. Veterinary Laboratories Agency as estimating an average 7,431 tons of illegal meat and meat products, including bushmeat, enter Britain every year.
The coalition estimates roughly 85 percent of illegal meat enters the country in personal luggage, with 55 percent distributed through wholesalers and street markets.
