Could Africa's taste for bushmeat trigger the next pandemic? Bushmeat is considered a virus vector and a cause of countless diseases. But the problem goes far beyond the consumption of bat stew. And the next pandemic is already lurking. There is a huge selection of bushmeat at the Mbandaka market in the DRC Smoked monkeys, turtle heads, whole bats — at the bushmeat market in Mbandaka in the north of the Democratic Republic of Congo, you can find quite a few exotic types of meat. Bushmeat is one of the most important sources of protein for many Congolese. But it has a dangerous aftertaste.