Stop Wildlife Poisoning

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Aug 30 2009 | By: paula

We have just recieved reports that there has been a huge die off of birds at the Thika sewage works just north of Nairobi. This sewage works has been a favourite place for birders as it attracts a huge diversity and massive congregations of birds local and migrants

A team from Ornithology dept NMK in the company Oliver Nasirwa went to the Thika
sewage ponds to assess the reported case of dying birds at the site on the 26th
August 2009.

Ronald Mulwa notes:

“From my assessment and talking to the officers on the ground, the die off cases could
be going down. We found one Sacred Ibis really sick and unable to fly, also found one
Red-billed Teal just dying - apart from that the rest were 1 week old (or so) carcasses -
we assume that some carcasses also get swept away into the sewage outlet.

Though we are working on a more detailed update, the following are the
birds we found dead:
Sacred Ibis - 2 + 1 unable to fly
White-faced Whistling Duck -1
Red-billed Teal - 15
Red-knobed Coot - 5
Hadada Ibis - 2
Black-winged Stilt - sickly and unable to fly 1

We thought this may not be termed ‘Mass Die Offs’ as such, since there were still 100s of birds feeding and actively flying around. But the root cause for the deaths need to be established urgently.

We took samples some carcasses that were in reasonable shape and have been taken to
Kabete Vet Labs this morning. The Cape Teal we found dying had a strange swellings ballooning out of both eyes like bubble! photos available!

The officer in charge was quit concerned, supportive and was keen to be involved in this
assessment and to see the results of the Lab analysis.

We welcome suggestions and further discussion.
Best regards
Mulwa Ronald
Research Scientist Head - Ornithology Section, Zoology Department
National Museums of Kenya
P. O Box 40658 00100
Nairobi Kenya
Tel: 254-20-3742131/3742161 extn 243
Fax: +254-20-3741424 Cell Phone: +254 722499

According to Brian Finch and a report from Oliver Nasirwa of Nature Kenya, the three days between the initial discovery on 23^rd August 2009 and Olivers visit three days later, there was incredible variation in what both parties recorded.

Some of the dead birds disappeared including fifteen dead Spur-winged Plovers, Yellow-billed Ducks, Hottentot Teal, several Ruff and more than five Coot, is a mystery. This could be due to scavenging animals are moving in from the surrounding farmlands, maybe even local dogs.

Brian notes “the difference in live presence which is amazing, our figures
in brackets:

Little Grebe 450    (250)
Sacred ibis 170     (6)
Cattle Egret 5     (nil)
Yellow Billed Stork 13  (1)
Yellow-billed Duck 30   (15)
White-faced Whistling Duck 30   (20)
Red-knobbed Coot 50 (75)
Egyptian Goose 60  (40)
Grey Crowned Crane 12  (4)
Black-winged Stilt 100  (60)
Spur-winged Plover 50  (4 live fifteen dead!!!!)
Common Sandpiper 20 (20)
Curlew Sandpiper 30 (5)
Wood Sandpiper 10  (70)
Marsh Sandpiper 6 (1)
Little Stints 70 (90)
Chlidonias terns 30  (1WWBT)

We also recorded 2 White-backed Duck,  8 Hottentot, 2 Glossy Ibis, 10 Hadada, 2 Long-toed Plover, 6 Blacksmith Plover, 15 Three-banded Plover, 50 Ruff, 2 Green Sandpiper.

I think it erroneous to assume that birds that appear perfectly healthy are not infected and succumb later. Also I think that the difference by the two counts testifies that there is a considerable movement through the ponds, but even the birds that move on south or
wherever could have taken in a fatal dose.

If this were a terrorist situation we would be on a RED not ORANGE alert!”

The hotline to report bird die-offs to the Department of Veterinary Science is 0722-726-682.

To join the Nature Kenya bird group email kenyabirdsnet@yahoogroups.com

Tags: bird poisoning, Birds, Brian Finch, nature Kenya, ornithology, Pesticides, plover, poison, sandpiper, Thika

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Aug 25 2009 | By: Martin Odino

Normally the term poacher brings out the impression that these are fellows hunting average sized to big game. In normal circumstances, ‘normal’poachers hunt game exclusively benefiting entirely from game meat sale and no other activity. I mean they are more or less specialized to this activity targettting ,mostly herbivores.

In Bunyala, poachers are bird hunters in the contemporary setting. But even these have stemed out from an older generation that hunted normally: I mean mainly specialized herbivore hunters relying almost solely on this activity. But of course these were hunted to none in the region.

When I talk of bird poachers therefore, you are less likely to fear that these guys could be dangerous to people who are nosing into their business but reality of the situation is contrary. Noinetheless they are normal people.

Maimed individuals already lying at his feet, this fellow is contemplating a long shot for disoriented individulas that have wondered far

The young man above is hardly in his thirties and poisons birds almost on a daily basis for sale. Off the poisoning field he is an electronics expert repairing mostly radios. Then again he gets hired to work in the irrigation scheme to chase birds, weed or harvest the rice. But may be he does all these tasks because he has two wives, the first of whom is ailing and bed ridden (I hope it is not a furadan-related illness, God forbid) and a couple of children.

This one is an older poacher in his mid thirties I am told has neither wife nor kids. His speciality is small bird and especially dove and pigeon poisoning rather than stork poisoning. But the guy also gets hired for farming activities in the Bunyala RErice Irrigation Scheme.

This guy is a homeowner in his late thirties; a family man and responsible father in a crude way:as you can see his sons are being drilled to take over and follow in his footsteps.

The band above constitutes agemates in their thirties and to a larger part bachelors. These guys all poison storks and it is their unifying factor. A good number have strange story lines inclusive of one known to have chopped off one local tailor’s arm for failing to finish the poacher’s girlfriend’s outfit on the agreed deadline ; another (the guy in green) is renowned for habitually beating up his father, the mentor that saw him rise to bird poisoning profession.

What is common to all these poachers is that they are known to generously spend their money earned in poisoning business in commodities that can best be described as illicit. After work, they flock in Illicit brew dens to down a few tumblers while Marijuana smoking is a norm of this callibre.

Wether the illicit substances are responsible or the guys are haunted by the mad killing of nature’s beings, generally these guys are feared to be bad tempered. Duels and gang fights are not uncommon amongst themselves over poisoned birds-which group’s bird is it?(if the poisoned bird takes off and falls in no man’s land); who is entitled to more dead birds?-It is real jungle style and some days my assistant and I have to watch from a distance. What is worse is that for some reason, which I suspect is poison availability, most of these guys have become so full of themselves and what used to be a joke, “just photograph what I am doing but time is coming when you will have to pay me” is now a real and altered stern warning that I should “absolutely refrain from taking any photos “.

The smell around these strange guys is typically wild, ortherwise fine by me whose ‘brown collar’ job has taught me to appreciate nature in its various shades. This smell is purpoted to be the effect of the many storks they have eaten which smell the same. But acknowledging the odour is disrupted by their warning breath of scary and menacing stench of terror!

Keep reading friends.

Technorati : Bunyala, Poacher, Poisoning

Tags: Bunyala, Poacher, poisoning

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Category: Uncategorized, carbofuran, lions | Date: Aug 20 2009 | By: Martin Odino

Dear readers,

This information is found in Telegraph. co.uk.(August 18th, 2009)

Conservationists have warned that lions may become extinct in Kenya within the next 20 years unless urgent action is taken to save them.

Kenya is annually losing an average of 100 of its 2,000 lions due to growing human settlements, increasing farming, climate change and disease, according to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).

And “….there are ever more efficient ways, including poisoning, to kill lions,” explains Dr. Laurence Frank.

Read the full article here.

But is it really 20 years or 10 years and markedly, Furadan is a key player in the catastrophic die out  of the lions and other big cats. Read it all in “Kenya’s lions could vanish within 10 years“, from The NewScientist.

Technorati : Kenya Wildlife Service, Lions, The Telegraph, The NewScientist

Tags: Kenya Wildlife Service, lions, The Telegraph

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Aug 18 2009 | By: Martin Odino

Another case of raptor poisoning is under investigation in Scotland by Tayside Police’s wildlife section and CID officials. The good thing however is that the community’s involvement may just be the beginning of the end to such poisoning.

Alma, a two year Golden Eagle succumbed to poisoning in Glenesk. Brechin Community Council vice-convener raised the issue at the meeting saying that it was fairly conclusive that the bird was poisoned in Glenesk. Community Councillor Agnes Lowdon added that she believes no one was targeting that bird since she is a free spirit but that they were for sure targeting a raptor. The indiscriminate use of poison is threatening to get rid of the population of Scotland’s natural bird.

In Kenya, with early arrivals already reported, we await the coming of the Lesser Kestrels dreading the likelihood that the Lesser Kestrel exhibiting speedy depopulation worldwide (up to 46% in breeding grounds abnd 25% in wintering groundsevery decade since 1971)is directly poisoned in my study site in Bunyala. I am therefore designing a study to this effect.

While the species conventional mode of feeding alienates it from direct poisoning by poachers, probable survival mechanisms may just be exposing it to the poisoning like other birds that feed on poison bait. Normally they will detect insects on close range in flight and feed on them on the wing, but in Bunyala, the small falconids are sometimes observed to perch on the ground and near bait. Scattered Furadan-laced insect bait may not pose great risk of consumption by the Kestrels but gathered bait sometimes left on sheets of paper may just be easy catch for the Lesser Kestrels.

Termites being mixed with Furadan. Sometimes these may be left out in the field where the Kestrels were seen to hunt.

These photos were taken in late April this year and on closer scrutiny left me fearful if the birds are not getting poisoned as well.

A Lesser Kestrel perched on the ground where scattered bait had been laid out

Another Lesser Kestrel flying down to pick an insect in a transect where I was observing for bird poisoning

More Common Kestrels than Lesser Kestrels were seen to perch higher; nearer and strategic to ambush insects in flight?outcompeting the Lessers that were forced to scavenge sometimes?therefore feeding on poison bait?It has been observed sthat ome birds have higher lethal doses such as Egrets or even resistance and may not necessarily die on the site but elsewhere further possibly at their roost;might be the case with the kestrels.

A mixed flock of the kestrels going to roost. The insect like forms against the orange sunset background are the individual birds.

Just a note of concern is that the Golden Eagle is regionally extinct in Ireland, neighbouring Scotland while the globally threathened Lesser Kestrel is known to face pesticide poisoning as one of its threats in its range both directly but also through causing reduction in its prey availability.

Please keep reading.

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Category: carbofuran | Date: Aug 16 2009 | By: Martin Odino

Dear readers,

Despite the on-going poisoning of birds, some smaller species survive unharmed by the direct poisoning particularly due to their mode of feeding.

Angola Swallow: I refer to them as ‘dirty’ Barn Swallows. They are however non-mogratory unlike the Barn Swallows.They are specialist insect eaters ‘on the wing’.

Winding Cisticola: they belong to the group of ‘grass dwellers’. They feed on grass seeds and tiny insects in the grass flower receptacles.

Malachite Kingfisher: common along water courses; irrigation channels in this case. It prefers insects in flight

Grey-headed Kingfisher: prefers woodlands bordering water courses but strictly feeds on insects in flight.

Diederick Cuckoo: also an insect eater; keeps off from the rice scheme.

Black crake: a wetland bird and may forage into the muddy pools in the paddy fields. Its shy nature preserves it from getting close to poachers or their baits hence avoiding poisoning.

Technorati : Birds

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Category: Pesticides | Date: Aug 13 2009 | By: Martin Odino

University of Pittsburgh researchers have reported in the September edition of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry that the four-day testing period the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) commonly uses to determine safe levels of pesticide exposure for humans and animals could fail to account for the toxins’ long-term effects.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry article reports “lag effect,” revealing that harmful effects can remain hidden until after EPA’s four-day direct exposure test.

The likes of neurotoxin endosulfan can exhibit a “lag effect” with the fallout from exposure not surfacing until after direct contact has ended. Lead author Devin Jones, a recent Pitt biological sciences graduate, conducted the experiment under Rick Relyea, an associate professor of biological sciences in Pitt’s School of Arts and Sciences, with collaboration from Pitt post-doctoral researcher John Hammond. In the study, the team exposed nine species of frog and toad tadpoles to endosulfan levels “expected and found in nature” for the EPA’s required four-day period, then moved the tadpoles to clean water for an additional four days, Jones reported. Although endosulfan was ultimately toxic to all species, three
species of tadpole showed no significant sensitivity to the chemical until after they were transferred to fresh water. Within four days of being moved, up to 97 percent of leopard frog tadpoles perished along with up to 50 percent of spring peeper and American toad tadpoles.Read more on the “lag effect” here.

Relyea explains that endosulfan is 1,000-times more lethal to amphibians than other pesticides. Yet, he said, if the
powerful insecticide cannot kill one the world’s most susceptible species in four days, then the four-day test period may not adequately gauge the long-term effects on larger, less-sensitive species.

“When a pesticide’s toxic effect takes more than four days to appear, it raises serious concerns about making regulatory decisions based on standard four-day tests for any organism,” Relyea said. “For most pesticides, we assume that animals will die during the period of exposure, but we do not expect substantial death after the exposure has ended. Even if EPA
regulations required testing on amphibians, our research demonstrates that the standard four-day toxicity test would have dramatically underestimated the lethal impact of endosulfan on even this notably sensitive species.”

Andrew Blaustein, a professor in Oregon State Universitysaid the results raise concerns about standards for other chemicals and the delayed dangers that might be overlooked. “The results are somewhat alarming because standards for assessing the impacts of contaminants are usually based on short-term studies that may be insufficient in revealing the true impact,” Blaustein said. “The implications of this study go beyond a single pesticide and its effect on amphibians. Many other animals and humans may indeed be affected similarly.”

Tadpoles in the Pitt project spent four days in 0.5 liters of water containing endosulfan concentrations of 2, 6, 7, 35, 60, and 296 parts-per-billion (ppb), levels consistent with those found in nature. The team cites estimates from Australia-where endosulfan is widely used-that the pesticide can reach 700 ppb when sprayed as close as 10 meters from the
ponds amphibians typically call home and 4 ppb when sprayed within 200 meters. The EPA estimates that surface drinking water can have chronic endosulfan levels of 0.5 to 1.5 ppb and acute concentrations of 4.5 to 23.9 ppb.

Leopard frogs, spring peepers, and American toads fared well during the experiment’s first four days, but once they were in clean water, the death rate spiked for animals previously exposed to 35 and 60 ppb. Although the other six species did not experience the lag effect, the initial doses of endosulfan were still devastating at very low concentrations. Grey and
Pacific tree frogs, Western toads, and Cascades frogs began dying in large numbers from doses as low as 7 ppb, while the same amount killed all green frog and bullfrog tadpoles.

The endosulfan findings build on a 10-year effort by Relyea to understand the potential links between the global decline in amphibians, routine pesticide use, and the possible threat to humans in the future.

A second paper by Relyea and Jones also in the current Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry expands on one of Relyea’s most notable investigations, a series of findings published in Ecological Applications in
2005 indicating that the popular weed-killer Roundup® is “extremely lethal” to amphibians in concentrations found in the environment. The latest work determined the toxicity of Roundup Original Max for a wider group of larval amphibians, including nine frog and toad species and four salamander species. For more, please read the Roundup paper.

In November 2008, Relyea reported in Oecologia that the world’s 10 most popular pesticides-which have been detected in nature-combine to create “cocktails of contaminants” that can destroy amphibian populations, even if the concentration of each individual chemical is within levels considered safe to humans and animals. The mixture killed 99 percent of leopard frog tadpoles and endosulfan alone killed 84 percent.

A month earlier, Relyea published a paper in Ecological Applications reporting that gradual amounts of malathion-the most popular insecticide in the United States-too small to directly kill developing leopard frog tadpoles instead sparked a biological chain reaction that deprived them of their primary food source. As a result, nearly half the tadpoles in the experiment did not reach maturity and would have died in nature.

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Aug 13 2009 | By: Martin Odino

Dear readers, today’s post is a non-poisoning post of a section of my study site. A ‘cool off’ post I would brand it.

In Bunyala have stood where local legends stood….no, died! Until the 80’s, the villagers congreagated at the south western end of the study site (Munaka)to watch their young men wrestle, drink local brew and may be for the victorious men, win the spouses of a lifetime in commemoration of a lady that was murdered in the area.

30 years down the line, I count dead birds on end and all this because of a deadly carbofuran. It all gained momentum with the introduction of the pesticide about the early 1980’s at the rice scheme. Since then, it has never ended.

The sample poisoned bird above is about the spot where long wethered remains of a Banyala heroine were laid to rest a couple of centuries back.

It was custom that men ’stole’ women from their homes when they were of status to become wives. The dowry negotiations would then be discussed when the lady was safe in the confines of the interested man’s home. Succesful snatching of the woman from her people just added value to the suitability of the man to claim the girl.

A sung lady of ‘paralysing’ beauty was known of the area that is now the death grounds of many birds. When her time was ripe, one suitor engaged his band of agemates in this unavoidable, now medieval operation for any boy turned man. With a succesful raid, the troop made sleek escape back to the man’s home, but lo!tragedy struck in this field. Another suitor, and then another, and another came up to contest for the same lady. To cut the long story short, the outcome was a blood bath of scores dead inclusive of the lady who was stabbed by one of the contesting suitors so that none would have her. After that a bull would be selected from whatever homestead of the clan that the lady hailed from to represent her; her incarnation. This bull roamed freely and you were not to chase it from your farm if he paid you a visit or trouble would come your way. Upon his death, the bull would be replaced according to the dead woman’s command. My agemates tell of a story that when they were in primary school, an unusual antelope in the region wandered into one of the schools neighbouring the site. The kids were out playing. Many chased after the antelope throwing stones, sticks, clubs and the killer clobbered it with a hoe!None of those involved survived without punishment with the voice of the spirit lady heard through one elderly man complaining how she had come to visit her grounds and the ruthless people kill her embodiment. Fines from chicken, goats, sheep and 20 head of cattle for the actual murderer were administered accordingly depending on the role played by the villains.

But the tradition of clebrating this lady is now gone and poisoning goes on unchecked at these once revered grounds. This is tragic!ow I wish the heroine’s multiplied spirits had come as birds and at their poisoning dished out heavy fines to the poisoners.

Please keep reading.

Technorati : Bunyala, heritage

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Category: carbofuran | Date: Aug 11 2009 | By: Martin Odino

An officer in his office at PCPB is discussing with his accomplice from JUANCO of their next useful yet again lucrative agrochemical deal. In parliament, politicians are struggling to have patronage over the solving of the cases by the perpetrators of Kenya’s post-election violence.A continent away, a scientist is working away on a computer at FMC. In all these cases, these giants are aware of the sizzling hot Furadan poisoning issue but is a trivial matter to them, or is it a necessary outcome that does not surpass the giants’ benefits from the continued existence of the pesticide in our midst?

In this conservation venture, I meant to collect baseline information and alert conservation and government stakeholders, also train educate and raise awareness on the Furadan poisoning issue. But all these targets are designed to function as a unit. It is therefore a drawback when the enforcer who is the government and its appointed agency, the PCPB, seem dormant and insensitive on the matter.

The Furadan bird poisoning until now seems to effect a mortality of 30% - 40% of the whole bird population exposed to the poisonings. It means 3 to 4 birds die in every 10 that wander into the poacher’s baiting set up. The threat is even higher for tightly social colonies such as the migrant sandpipers and Abdim’s Storks with up to whole colony deaths or 100% mortality.

When FMC announced and began the buy back of its supplied Furadan stocks from Kenya, Mocap quickly replaced it and is at the moment fairly extensively used. No negative effects of the pungent Mocap nor its underperformance have been revealed hitherto which is what was feared of the pesticide. But it was disturbing to find the pesticide still in Kajiado (Kiserian) months later, yet lion deaths due to poisoning by Furadan are known of this pastoralist region. Then Eldoret a few weeks back shocked us with the explicit display of the poisonous pesticide in some agrovet store shelves and now poachers in Bunyala are declaring it on the rise again. I have still not gotten the confirmation but the claim that, “The supplier is still supplying us with Furadan….” by some store keepers in Eldoret Town is a depressing statement. I am forced to think aloud if the statement means, ‘JUANCO are still supplying Furadan’ and where is it from????!!!!…FMC???’ an abomination!

Fellowshipping with bird poachers and trying to enlighten them, counting bird carcasses and turning in poisoning updates has been the procedure during every month’s survey. More has been the testing of the poisoned birds as evidence of bird poisoning using Furadan. While this evidence was stressed on as crucial if any regulation measure had to be effected for Furadan, the agencies whose delegates vehemently insisted on the lab evidence have since been quiet. Does it mean the evidence is not enough as has always been the defence? I am willing to get more samples if they will chip in towards the testing costs. Or is the matter already decided on that Furadan is here to stay?

Technically, this survey is testing methodologiy to be employed elsewhere and is expected that the model survey can be used anywhere. A near success of the methods seems to have hit a snag!

While bird poisonings in Bunyala had drastically declined last month, this is gradually being reversed and is on a steadily elevated trend calling for a change in strategy; may be fill papers with poisoning images. I hope an environmental lawyer out there hears me out!

Keep reading.

Technorati : Bunyala, FMC, Furadan, JUANCO, Mocap, PCPB, Poacher, Poison

Tags: Bunyala, FMC, furadan, JUANCO, Mocap, PCPB, Poacher, poison

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Category: carbofuran | Date: Aug 09 2009 | By: Martin Odino

A few days ago, I finished administering questionnaires and interviewing people in Bunyala about the issue of bird poisoning. Disturbing findings came up: vitually the entire population knows about Furadan and its toxicity yet majority of the immediate population at the rice scheme feed on poisoned birds; poachers say Furadan is banned but it continues to be available. I sought to know the poachers’ unanimous opinion on vegetable farming in exchange for bird poisoning as we had agreed they discuss (in May) and tell me what they thought but the few I met said birdmeat business seemed good again with the poison’s supply having increased and was not as scanty as it had been 2 months back. I just seem to have lost a would be band of converts who are crucial if poisoning is to be eradicated in Bunyala, thanks to increasing Furadan supply in the area! It means starting all over again which for the sake of lvelihoods, I am left with no other option.

The rice scheme fields are being ploughed in readiness for planting. Birds have started flocking in the fields and will reach peak numbers with the flooding of the paddy fields at planting time. It is even more worrying because the rice planting area has been expanded.

This field used to be left fallow during the previous seasons but is now being converted to be used for rice planting

Birds anticipating food bounty and a tractor ploughing in the distance

Poachers are therefore going to be more spread to poison as many birds as they can and are beefing up their stocks of Furadan for the season. It is disturbing that much as I was trying to focus on the interviews and questionnaires, harsh reminders of on-going bird poisoning kept coming up on the footpaths criss-crossing the villlage recidences. The doves below had dropped to their deaths on the path I was using, having been intoxicated while foraging at the irrigation scheme.

Finding the actual source of this pesticide in Bunyala has proven difficult because the chain of people involved is long and mysterious. I know one old man who supplies the poachers with the pesticide and it is alleged he gets the poison from the irrigation scheme. An interview with the man did not yield much information as he insisted on telling me more about his blacksmith venture, a genuine art but perfect masquerade for the pesticide underground deals he engages in. Further, my assistant got a 100g pack of Furadan from an official of the board who incidentally got this chemical through convincing or bypassing the person with the key to the store where the pesticide is stored. For some time, the fellow had been unable to secure the pesticide because the store key only has one custodianwho had been away for a while . No doubt the illegal pesticide’s blackmarket deals go on within the confines of the Bunyala rice board premises but it seems nobody heeds the call for the rice board supplies to be retrieved especially when they bear the trademark showing they are Juanco distributed and as far as I know, it is the same juanco involved with the buy back.

Keep reading on the worrying, regulation-ignored Furadan poisoning scene in Kenya

Technorati : Bunyala, Furadan, Juanco, Poacher, Poison

Tags: Bunyala, furadan, JUANCO, Poacher, poison

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Category: carbofuran | Date: Aug 04 2009 | By: Martin Odino

“No you cannot afford this bird.” ranted the ‘poacher’, clearly getting irritated.

“I will pay double the amount it would cost a dead bird,” I made my bidding.

“KSh.5000!”,the poacher stated his quotation, sounding not at all amused.

A newly captured open-billed stork soon to become a decoy. Ksh.5000 bob is its mimimal value!

This was the conversation I had with one poacher while trying to evaluate the cost of aquiring then probably rehabiliate and set free all captive African Open-billed Storks. The birds are kept under restraint in homesteads for use to lure others during poisoning for wild bird meat.

My interviews with virtually all poachers in Bunyala reveal that none really aquired those birds without an already captured individual. The history of how the first captives were caught seems diffuse to most poachers; all say that a decoy is made of a bird that is least intoxicated and survives poisoning but requires a decoy to lure it and get it to feeding on Furadan-laced bait.

I asked the poacher how he had come up with the Ksh5000 (US$65) and the following constituted the justification:

Realized value of sold poisoned birds due to the decoy:

Having captured and used decoy luring technique to capture birds for a while, the poacher said he had the highest daily sales of birds attributed to one decoy stork at Ksh.5000. On the average this translates to 100 birds each sold at a minimum price of Ksh.50. The minimum cost of Ksh. 50 per bird is typical of high season of bird kill. His bird was therefore worth at least Ksh. 5000.

Cost of Furadan

As a ‘professional’ bird poacher, the poacher said he uses about 10 of the 200gm packs of Furadan, each costing Ksh150 (about 2 dollars). This costs Ksh 1500 (20 dollars). Furadan poison and the decoy are an inseparable Open-billed Stork poisoning unit. He insisted that this should actually be added to the Ksh.5000 figure.

Cost of a photo

The poacher then added that I had to take his photo with the bird which according to him I could sell to tourists at a lucrative value. I would have to pay him Ksh. 5000 for this. I kept my camera where he could see it so that he could see it so that he would not claim I had taken a sneak photo of him.

It is so insane! The cumulative cost stands at a staggering US$150 per bird. There are about 20 pairs of African open-billed Stork captives. Their “buy back”would amount to US$6000! This is a whole project!!!!!.

Banning Furadan and enforcing the regulation will mean keeping the poacher and the poison apart. While no trials so far are working as well as Furadan in bird poisoning in Bunyala, the habit of capturing (and poisoning) storks will decline since one unit of the decoy luring poisoning technique will be lacking.

Furadan 5G, the deadly poisonous pesticide.

Please keep reading.

Technorati : Bunyala, Furadan, Poacher, Poison

Tags: Bunyala, furadan, Poacher, poison

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