Liberia: Monkeys, Pets or Meat?

Photos: Laura McClure

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Editors’ Note: Laura McClure traveled to Liberia this month on an IRP Gatekeeper Editors trip organized by the International Reporting Project (IRP).

I asked this University of Liberia student (see photo) what Christmas present I should bring back to America for my 4-year-old.

“Maybe a monkey?” he suggested.

Me: “As a pet?”

Student: “Yes, as a pet.”

Me: “But don’t Liberians also eat monkeys?”

Student: “Yes, but first you can play with them. Families do that sometimes, raise monkeys and then eat them.”

Me: “What about dogs, do you eat them too after they’re pets?”

Student: “Yes, dogs too.”

Me: “Cats?”

Student: “Yes.”

Me: “Birds?”

Student: “Yes.”

Me: “Lizards?”

Student: “Yes.”

Me: “Chameleons?”

Student: “No.” (Makes a disgusted face.)

Maybe he was putting me on, but I kind of doubt it. Bushmeat is a big, unapologetic family cottage industry in Liberia, hence Sapo National Park signs and bumper stickers with “please don’t eat the wildlife” messaging, like this one:

"Please don't feed the wildlife" stickers might be a ways off.“Please don’t feed the wildlife” stickers might be a ways off.

Stay tuned for more Africa dispatches.

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We need to start raising significantly more in donations from our online community of readers, especially from those who read Mother Jones regularly but have never decided to pitch in because you figured others always will. We also need long-time and new donors, everyone, to keep showing up for us.

In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

Please learn more about how Mother Jones works and our 47-year history of doing nonprofit journalism that you don't elsewhere—and help us do it with a donation if you can. We've already cut expenses and hitting our online goal is critical right now.

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