Stop Wildlife Poisoning

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Jul 01 2008 | By: Martin

Hi. With the fear of a global pandemic of the avian flu, many countries have been on the look out, employing surveillance by catching and testing species in their regions if they carry the deadly flu. A colleague at the National Museums of Kenya, Dr. Peter Njoroge (actually the departmental coordinator of this activity) narrated to me that while on such an expedition early this year in Mwea Irrigation Scheme in Kenya, he happened to meet bird shooting sportsmen also doing their bird shooting around the irrigation scheme. With sincere interest to obtain samples from the shot birds to get to the laboratory for avian flu virus testing, he approached the local guide and asked him to talk to his clients to give Dr. Njoroge some birds which he would get mouth and vent swabs for lab testing. The response was an vehement NO! With indiference and utmost keenness, the shooters left, checking the area again and again for any ducks that would be forgotten behind. Well, what was it that was so special that they were defending their ducks so dearly?What would have made you fearful if you were the shooter?

Mwea is already an intense furadan abuse zone. I need to get there possibly over the coming weekend. I want to survey for furadan poisoning in person. Rumours are ‘you feel the effects when you eat the furadan poisoned ducks regularly’. The people who poison the birds are very cautious to anyone concerned about the killings of the birds. I have to be a detective! I will need to use some locals if at all I want to raise my chances of getting any killed birds specimen. Then I want to lay a hand on these shot ducks. Only testing them will confirm if we have lead poisoning threat as well.

From my surveys, Irrigation Schemes are centers of furadan abuse and in particular carbofuran is used to poison birds.My biggest problem during my surveys is the general high degree of suspicion I am treated with at any site. I want to have site persons who can report back to me. I have one guy in Bunyala Irrigation Scheme which is located in Western Kenya. I need to get him a phone so that he can report back to me. An average phone goes for about 40 dollars. I also need 150 dollars to witness what I was told in my survey in May 2008 that the ‘Peak season’ of trapping (poisoning birds using furadan)birds at the Bunyala irrigation scheme is during at planting and harvesting. Well, planting is now on till about mid next month.

I am going to be out in the field on a general bird survey trip staring tomorrow 2/07/2008 till Friday 4/07/2008 ,in a part of Eastern Kenya. I will however also be on the lookout for any poisoning and let you know of this. Apologies to all the readers and those who make comments because I may not be able to give the blog adequate commitment but I will try to post a story whenever I can.

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