Poaching has been the greatest threat to wildlife and might cause its extinction in different African countries including Zimbabwe, a wildlife expert has said. Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe president Emmanuel Fundira yesterday said, while game meat production can contribute to economic growth in the country, there was need to curb poaching activities. In a survey conducted in eastern Madagascar, it was revealed that 95% of those interviewed said they had eaten at least one protected species. But the majority showed a preference for meat from domestic animals, suggesting that game hunting could be greatly reduced if alternative sources of animal protein were affordable and available. Studies have also shown that elsewhere on the continent, people still hunt wild animals to feed their families, while in other places hunting is done on a commercial basis. The study said illegal game hunting was complex and was closely linked to various factors that differ from place to place. However, wildlife experts said there was not much research done to look into illegal game hunting, while there is a lot of research on ivory and rhino horn poaching. There is also poaching for elephant tusks, horns or other animal body parts, which experts say is a threat to African wildlife.