Evaluation of game consumption in the study of game species production in the Republic of Karelia

Game hunting for food is widespread throughout Russia, including the Republic of Karelia. However, the demand for game products among the population of this region remains unknown. The aim of the work was to analyze the frequency of consumption of meat and offal of hunted wild mammals and birds. The study was conducted by questioning hunters (n=84) as direct consumers of game. The questionnaire included questions about the frequency of consumption by hunters of meat and offal (liver, kidneys, heart, lungs) of mammals (beaver, hare, wild boar, moose, brown bear) and birds (woodcock, capercaillie, goose, hazel grouse, black grouse, duck). The results indicate that meat and by-products from birds are more in demand than from mammals. Among birds, the majority of respondents prefer black grouse, duck, goose, among mammals – moose and wild boar. The meat of all hunted animals is the most popular food product, the liver and heart of certain species are also in demand. Moose is the only species from which all of the above-mentioned by-products are used as food products. Most of the surveyed hunters consume products from hunted animals rarely – from one to ten times a year, and only a small proportion of respondents – once a month or weekly. The results obtained can be used in studying the hunting product market and assessing its food safety, in analyzing the risk to human health in ecological and toxicological studies, as well as in studying the development (harvesting) of a number of game species.