Stop Wildlife Poisoning

The Team

Look out for Wild ducks

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Jul 09 2008 | By: Martin

There have been outcries of landmark poisoning incidences starting with ourselves here at Wildlife Direct of carnivores, scavengers- usually hyenas and vultures, and raptors (real predators rather than scavenging). No doubt these are now known to have our attention and need our acting for their survival.

History is ingrained with wild ducks as prime victims of sport hunting. In the USA, migratory duck shooting is an annual event. Northerly- southerly migrating flocks of ducks do not go without some of their members dropping down from the skies at the force of a sport- hunter’s artillery. Sometimes, though proclaimed illegal, lead bullets are used, leaving duck family members’ numbers (and definitely other living organisms) imperilled by lead poisoning. Biologists sampling the bottoms of wetlands in the US and other waterfowl hunting areas have found in some areas more than 100,000 lead pellets per acre in the upper few inches of bottom samples. Diving ducks are more likely to swallow lead shot. Snow geese and swans can dig even deeper – as much as 12 to 15 inches deeper. Kenya apparently is not free of duck shooting either, the incidence of the shooters not willing to give or even sell some of their dead ducks to National Museums of Kenya scientists for avian flu testing in Mwea early this year (2008) leaves us with a lot fear if there is no threat of lead poisoning from lead shot as well. This is however yet to be proved.

In western Kenya, some bird hunters report that in the 1990s, it was possible through carbofuran poisoning to get up to 50 ducks a day. These are mostly the white-faced whistling ducks. In May 2008, I only witnessed a pair of the ducks on one occasion, then 3 individuals on another and that was about all that I saw in 5 days. The locals admit the number of the ducks which in the past years would average flocks of at least 8 individuals has generally dived.

Yesterday (7/7/2008) I got an email from a renowned, noble, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Hon Warden David Mead, whose efforts led to deregistration of carbofuran for use in the Mwea Rice Scheme in particular reference against poisoning ducks and other waterfowl in the 1990s. He was surprised when I told him that I had been informed the previous evening (6/7/2008) that there was still poisoning going on in Mwea Rice Scheme. David did not rule it out and went on to digest for me the likely situation based on his vast experience. He revealed that where the ducks are many, there was almost certainly poisoning. This is where the poisoners target! Here’s what he wrote, “I must confess to surprise, as I have informers at Mwea who have a vested interest in keeping an eye on things. However that’s not to say it’s still not happening, but there are very few Tree Ducks on the scheme this year, when they are usually very numerous in May and June, and thus it is doubtful that it’s worth anyone’s while to attempt to catch by Furadan use on the Rice Scheme itself? I can give no valid reason for the fewer ducks, so it is quite possible they are being targeted (poisoned) on the banks of the Tana River, where they rest up prior to flying on to the scheme. They rest up several kilometers below (downstream of) the big Tana R. bridge, which is on the main Nairobi/Nyeri road….” I just wonder where the once very many ducks of Mwea and Bunyala are going..

Are the ducks numbers going down and their status up the ranks of the threat categories with the poisoning just augmenting the situation? We need to be on the lookout.