Official protection of an exploited species sometimes precedes any quantitative understanding of its use, including any dependence of local residents on it for food and livelihood. Conservation initiatives could suffer without this information. The Goliath frog Conraua goliath is iconic globally because of its large size, and is categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. The main threat to this species in Cameroon is overexploitation, but any associated socio-economic aspects of this have not been quantified. We provide insights into local perceptions of the Goliath frog and its consumption through structured interviews with 223 people living alongside this species. The Goliath frog is well known and hunted both for home consumption and the wild meat trade. We trailed seven collaborative Cameroonian Goliath frog hunters over two seasons to determine offtake. A total of 192 Goliath frogs were collected by these hunters, peaking in March. The hunters used nets, shotguns and spears. Their catch was eaten at home or sold fresh within the community or to travellers for XAF 1,500–5,000 (USD 3–10) each. We also studied the Goliath frog trade by examining the databases of the Cameroonian Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, and CITES. CITES and hunters reported large exports of Goliath frogs but no trade was documented by the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife. To support conservation planning, this study provides preliminary quantitative information on the extent of the threat of hunting to this Endangered frog.

As the largest felid in the Americas, the jaguar Panthera onca has both ecological and cultural significance in Bolivia. Yet jaguar populations are declining because of multiple pervasive anthropogenic pressures, including domestic and international demand for their body parts. Since 2013, Bolivia has become a centre of the illegal trade of jaguar body parts, driven by demand from Chinese markets. From 2021, there have been anecdotal reports of jaguar body parts being sold to prisons in north-western Bolivia, where inmates use them to make crafts to be sold at local markets. Here we provide further insights into this illegal wildlife trade activity. Specifically, we show that inmates at Mocovi prison in Trinidad purchase skins of jaguars and other wild animals directly from hunters and from vendors at local markets. Goods (wallets, hats and purses) produced from the skins are sold back to vendors by the inmates to provide income for their daily sustenance. Testimony from an inmate also stated that large bulk orders for wildlife products had been received from a non-Bolivian client base. The San Borja municipality in Beni was indicated as a key location where jaguars are being targeted for their skins to supply the illegal production of wildlife products in Mocovi prison. Further studies are required to determine the extent of this illegal activity in Mocovi prison and other prisons in Bolivia, and in other Latin American countries.