It is known that wild animals and their by-products continue to be handled in different
cultures and societies, especially as the basis of the human diet. In this way, the
present work aims to characterize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the trade
of wild fauna and its by-products intended for food, analyzing whether consumers
associate game meat with the contagion of the new coronavirus and, consequently, if
they believe that frequent consumption of wild animals can threaten Food and
Nutritional Security in the city of Abaetetuba/PA. The field period was between
September 2019 and November 2020, with some gaps between visits to Abaetetuba.
The main instruments of the methodology used were semi-structured interviews in loco
and a questionnaire registered via the internet. There was no collection of biological
material, this verification being the responsibility of the photographic record and the
specific literature. As a result of the investigation, it can be seen that the free fair of the
"beira" of Abaetetuba still represents a place of preservation of social and cultural
relations, which strengthen affective ties and local knowledge. In it, there is an
extensive network of relationships in which the commercialization of wild animals
remains rooted in a chain of affinities that characterize the local sociocultural and
symbolic identity, in addition to representing an important source of income and/or
economic complement. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic impacted, to a
certain extent, the trade and consumption of wild animals, since, with the low supply
of animal protein at the fair and the increase in domestic meat (cattle, chicken, pork...),
there was an increase in the consumption of game meat, even though the price of this
has also been high in the pandemic period. Game meat has become a cheaper,
healthier and more durable alternative (salted). Thus, many consumers said they did
not associate the contagion of COVID-19 with the consumption of bushmeat, as well
as they did not believe that the frequent consumption of wild animals could threaten
Food and Nutrition Security in the municipality.
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