Stop Wildlife Poisoning

Category: carbofuran | Date: May 22 2009 | By: Martin Odino

I have mentioned in a number of my earlier posts of confirmed allegations that White-faced Whistling Ducks were the prefered targeted bird for wild bird meat by poachers and consumers some years back. While the African Open-billed Stork is now the most dramatic in terms of manner of poisoning and numbers poisoned, the White-faced whistling Duck once stole this show.

For the fourth month running in this survey, I have only seen 6 resident White-faced Whistling Ducks in my study area; and 6 others in a nearby ox-bow lake of River Nzoia. While the resident population of these birds in the study area really counts for this survey in the sense that I hoped I would witness the recovery process of this beautiful duck’s population, following cessation in their baiting, it appears I may not witness this phenomenon afterall. Other forces are in play here!

Other ducks occur in the wetland that is the irrigation scheme in numbers that supercede the dismal number 6 of the White-faced Tree Ducks. Comb Ducks or the Knob-billed Ducks seem to be thriving far too well compared to other ducks in the area, namely Egyptian Geese and Spur-Winged Geese besides the White-faced Tree Duck.

An impressive flock of Comb Ducks flying in to the rice scheme to forage.

A section of the same flock. A trial to get a better silhouette of the birds. See the dark comb at the head on closer, keener look.

Population declines in the White-faced Whistling Ducks are said to have caused the poachers to shift their poisoning efforts to the next vulnerable species, the African Open-billed Stork. The poison baiting of the whistling ducks was such that rice grain mixed with furadan was put in small dishes and put just under water in the paddy field where the ducks would come dabbling. The ducks would then get to the poison site and in a bit find the easy bait and gorge on it only to end up dead from Furadan’s intoxication.

When the Tree Duck’s numbers were no longer attractive to the poachers’ business, they (poachers) abandoned the remaining for dead and engaged themselves to poisoning Storks assuming a similar ‘wipe-out’ strategy.

Recently, on one occasion during our usual assignment to count the poisoned birds in Bunyala Rice Scheme, a poacher approached us informing us that we needed to keep our distance not to interfere with ‘his’ birds that were eating bait. I realized he was holding an egg and I ventured to ask to know to which bird it belonged.”The White-faced Whistling Ducks. I always pick them up then I will cook and eat them at home”, he answered. It made sense because it was around the same area that I had met the cosy pair of White-faced whistling ducks with a Ruff contented in the company of the two.

The White-faced Whistling Ducks and their friend, the Ruff.

The cosy ducks. Probably the mates whose egg was taken away.

The egg on the ground. The poacher did not want to be seen holding it in the photo.

It is argued by the poachers that some Tree ducks come at the planting season and the population is larger when water is pumped into the Rice scheme. This does not mean all is well because the resident population is the one that breeds in the area. The immigrants from other wetlands once well fed will take to the wing and go breed where they came from. So it appears that the few white-faced whistling ducks at the site, though not targeted for poisoning at the moment, have to struggle against the raiding of their eggs from their nests. With the poacher’s thorough in the rice fields especially while locating their poisoned birds, then the White-faced Whistling Duck might not recover modestly fast afterall, or ….never recover altogether.

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Tags: Bunyala Rice Scheme, furadan, Poacher, poisoning