Stop Wildlife Poisoning

Hi Everyone, this is Paula. We sat in a meeting today with members of the Stop Wildlife Poisoning Task Force to discuss progress, or should I dare say ‘lack of progress’???

The Agricultural Association  of Kenya is the only government agency that has responded  to our letters calling for a ban on Carbofuran in Kenya. But it’s not the response we really wanted - they are basically denying that there is any proof that carbofuran is dangerous, and that the poisoning of wildlife is an issue of “misuse” not dangers due to “proper use” … read ‘it’s not our fault’.  They want us to address wildlife pest control issues with the Kenya Wildlife Service.

We’ve been trying to reach the Kenya  Wildilfe Service who initially told us that they would press for a ban on carbofuran but seem to have since gone totally mum.  In fact I’ve recently seen evidence to show that KWS has hired the company that imports and distributes Carbofuran for its construction work. Another suggestion of conflict of interest amongst stakeholders and regulators in this sorry story.

Remember we toled you a couple of weeks ago about a KWS meeting with FMC  (the producers of Carbofuran) well, we are being told that we cannot get access to the meeting minutes as it was a ‘closed door meeting!’. Why do they need to be so secretive?

So where does this leave us? Well, I don’t know about the others in the team, but I’m REALLY ANGRY!!!

The news coming out of USA about the ban on carbofuran is a bit more hopeful - some press say Carbofuran residues have been banned but they have only announced an intention to ban it.

The EPA have changed tact from cancelling carbofuran’s registration, a regulatory path that determines whether a product  can be sold in the United States, because of the hazards it poses to workers who apply it as well as to birds and other wildlife. This ban on residues essentially is revoking the regulations that allow carbofuran residues in food. I.e it would affect local production as well as imported goods. I think it’s a brilliant strategy and we applaud the EPA.

But I don’t understand where the manufacturer FMC gets off. Rather than addressing the concerns, they have been fighting the move in federal court, arguing that the agency must prove that the chemical represents a public danger. I wonder what staff of FMC think and feel - they must know how dangerous and damaging Carbofuran is. Imagine selling your soul for a salary! If I worked for them I would resign. FMC is the first pesticide manufacturer in 20 years to resist cancellation of a registered pesticide! FMC spokesman James Fitzwater said his company will push to keep selling the product. He sounds like a really nice guy.

Friends we have work to do.

The EPA’s July 30th tolerance revocation proposal is subject to a 60-day comment period.  So far there has been much praise for the strong stand taken by the EPA but the American corn growers have indicated that the ban goes too far and are hoping for a limited use of the pesticide to protect corn  I hope that the comments being received are all in support of the ban. In Australia a big user of Carbofuran, farmers see the EPA decision as a sign of things to come. We have our fingers crossed for Africa too. We need to help get carbofuran banned in USA in order for it to have a ripple effect in other nations that supply USA - like my beloved Kenya.

Here is the full document from the EPA website. Please submit your comments to the revocation proposal.

Tolerance Revocation

Tolerance Revocation Proposal

• Carbofuran; Proposed Tolerance Revocations

Public comments on EPA’s carbofuran tolerance revocation proposal are due to EPA by September 29, 2008 - July 31, 2008 FR Notice. How to submit comments.

Due to considerable risks associated with carbofuran in food and drinking water, EPA is revoking the regulations that allow carbofuran residues in food. Because dietary exposures to infants and children are of particular concern, the Agency is moving to revoke carbofuran tolerances first, before cancelling carbofuran registrations. This approach provides the most direct and timely means to realize protection of children from dietary risks. It also allows multiple stakeholders an additional opportunity to comment.

Even though carbofuran is used on a small percentage of the U.S. food supply and therefore the likelihood of exposure through food is low, EPA has identified risks that do not meet our rigorous food safety standards. The Agency is taking the necessary steps to address these risks to ensure we have the safest food supply possible. The U.S. has a safe and abundant food supply, and children and others should continue to eat a variety of foods, as recommended by the federal government and nutritional experts.

In a Federal Register notice published on July 31, 2008, EPA is proposing to revoke all U.S. carbofuran tolerances. The Agency specifically is requesting comment on whether any individual carbofuran tolerances, or group of tolerances, meet the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act safety standard. It is possible that one or more individual carbofuran tolerances could be maintained, if information is provided to demonstrate that the tolerance(s) would be safe.

Revoking carbofuran tolerances is part of a broader series of Agency actions to cancel all uses of carbofuran in the United States due to human dietary, occupational, and ecological risks of concern. The cancellation process requires the development of several documents, including this proposed tolerance revocation. After moving to revoke carbofuran tolerances, EPA subsequently plans to publish a Notice of Intent to Cancel all carbofuran registrations.

EPA establishes tolerances for pesticides that may be found on foods, and can also revoke tolerances to better safeguard public health and the environment. The Agency must modify or revoke any tolerance that it determines is unsafe, that is, that does not meet the safety standard of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). The Agency is proposing to revoke all tolerances for carbofuran because exposure through food and drinking water does not meet the FFDCA section 408 (b)(2) safety standard. For further information on this process, see Revoking Pesticide Tolerances.

How to Submit Comments

July 31, 2008, FR Notice - Comments will be accepted on EPA’s carbofuran tolerance revocation proposal until September 29, 2008. All comments should be identified by Docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-2005-0162.

Publicly available docket materials are available either in the electronic docket at Regulations.gov, or in hard copy at the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) Regulatory Public Docket.

Comments may be submitted by one of the following methods:

• Regulations.gov Open the docket and find the docket item for the July 30, 2008, Federal Register Notice proposing revocation of carbofuran tolerances. In the far right column titled Add Comments, select the yellow balloon icon and follow on-screen directions. This icon will only be functional during the comment period.
• Mail To: Office of Pesticide Programs Regulatory Public Docket (7502P), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20460-0001.
• Hand delivery - During normal hours of operation, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays, deliver comments to OPP Regulatory Public Docket (7502P), Environmental Protection Agency, Rm. S-4400, One Potomac Yard (South Building), 2777 S. Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA 22202.

Please do not e-mail or fax your comments. For questions or assistance, contact the OPP Regulatory Public Docket at (703) 305-5805.

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Tags: Carbofuran ban, carbofuran revocation proposal, EPA, furadan, wildlife poisoning

Hi,

“In these woods, I am the master!”

Hunting or is it poaching which may involve weapons or poisoning is by far a mastery of skill rather than a crude means of survival as is mostly perceived.

I have had a couple chances during which I have talked to a poacher/hunter/poisoner by mingling in a way to suggest I am interested in apprenticeship in the same. In the end I have been amazed at how much they know about wildlife, weapons and poisons than many of us. This includes:

1. They know that poisons are lethal: Unlike what we know, the people who poison wildlife for food in significant cases don’t eat poisoned game themselves. They sell it and in many cases will buy meat or chicken for consumption. They will select the wildfowl that is not dead and slaughter it for consumption at their homes. Wild birds that remain alive are the least intoxicated and only end up being taken away because their appendages are broken to prevent them from flying during the state when they are disoriented by the poison. By the time they regain stability their ability to escape is impaired by their crippled state.

2. Poachers know where and how to get their quarry: Bird hunters know the ideal habitats to get which birds. They are the wild ornithologists who do not need a sophisticated sound playback system to get the attention of secretive birds. The only Flufftail (a kind of bird) I ever seen was in western Kenya and I was able to see it with the aid of a hunter who mimicked the bird’s call. He disclosed that that is how he got to get the birds where he laid poisoned bait.

3. They know the difficult/impossible quarry: Bird poachers know that game birds are difficult to catch. One told me that for business i.e. if you want birds to sell, game birds, the likes of guineafowls, francolins and quails are difficult to poison despite their congregating behaviour being ideal for poisoning. Instead, they use nooses and these require the patient or small scale vendor. At a trapping site in Busia, Kenya, the egrets are ignored since these will least likely succumb to a small dose of carbofuran; this will not be so economical to the poacher who wants to use a little of the chemical to get a bountiful catch. Still, egrets due to seemingly requiring a higher dosage of the poison will fly away even while intoxicated hence most likely will benefit a poacher or customer at a further locality who has not done any investment on the chemical and the actual baiting process. Most poachers on the other hand describe ducks generally as ‘dim’ and these settle to eating poisoned bait ‘without a second thought’, to use one poacher’s words.

4. The poachers also know which species are dwindling in numbers: Again, through consistent monitoring by these crude scientists parallel to their unpermitted cropping of wild birds without orders from the wildlife managers shows they are up to date with the trends and have their own red data lists out there. These red listings however mean nothing to them and they will continue with their indiscriminate hunting/poisoning methods to push to extinction the species whose numbers in those localities are struggling against the hunting pressures. Two bird poachers disclosed that the last they ever saw vultures must have been in the eighties. Our bird guide-books still bear maps showing these areas to be areas that vultures range. Men in their late Twenty’s admit having seen such birds during their childhood. The generation in their teens know nothing that looks like a vulture in their lifetime. If it is hunting that has driven the scavengers from these areas or even pushed the local populations to extirpation nobody knows. But they know the ducks, and notably the White-faced Tree ducks and Wattled starlings are dwindling steadily in the area because of poisoning.

So here we are confronting experts in what they have perfected in. By the way they also know if you are enquiring about poisoning and animals in the area then you are from the Kenya Wildlife Service, the local organization that values animals more than humans and will arrest you. So they will avoid talking to you or run away or they will just be given asylum by their own who will say nothing to you!

“The cover is good. I had better stay under cover till that KWS spy gets nothing and leaves my area!”

We need their own to change their own. But this requires incentive to the reformed to keep an eye, educate and create confidence for dialogue with the conservationists. If you can, please contribute towards a fund for one such person I know we see if there is some impact.

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Tags: carbofuran, Egret, Flufftail, KWS, Poacher, poisoning, Vulture, Wattled Starling, White-faced Tree Duck

As I took a random look at one of our local dailies today, the Standard newspaper, I was struck by the headline Tourists troop to Mara for ‘The Seventh Wonder’. With the memories of my two weeks in the Mara during my last visit there just two weeks ago still fresh, I could not help read the write up to see what people will decipher of it.

What I think is that to just a reader, it will look an interesting, tourist inviting piece;  a tourist who has never seen this Serengeti-Mara migration,so called 7th wonder may be tempted to check to see if there is still chance to make it to the Mara given the migration happens in intermittent waves for much of July into August year in year out; still, the Kenyan government’s adrenaline levels must be at utmost peak levels with its pulse of excitement driving it to hysterical frenzy since econoomic recovery seems imminent especially after the many misfortunes that have befallen our country dealing it repeated blows to our economic success. I feel the urge in the government, ‘as a father’, to  give a pat on the back to its child organ, the ministry of tourism and utter sell!sell!sell! Indeed the close to 550,000 tourists that have visited the area in the last 3 years is a good deal but it can be better given the harsh economic times we are trudging through.

Fine, we are the gifted custodians of the 7th wonder of the world. Conservationists must feel it is time to take time out when wildlife abundance is hailed for the moment in the Mara; while those of us locked in the unending nightmare of wildlife poisoning could also do the same. But can we? the memories of the lion (and hippo) poisoning linger fresh as these only happened months ago in the area. Kipchumba Kemei, the publisher of the article must happily and rightly proclaim (in normal circunstances) ” Their presence has increased the concentration  of crocodiles, lions and hyenas along the river bank….” , may be as an animal concentration watch point  to the tourists?or that the animals are bountiful?

Looking at the list of the animals that congregate on the Sand and Mara rivers during the Gnu/Zebra migration,-crocodiles, lions, hyens (and the migrating animals themselves)- all are known and reported to have been killed by Carbofuran (Furadan) in Kenya. So what the tourists are enjoying seeing to the stop wildlife team is the sample of animals that carbofuran will effectively take down. Well, this is what I also wish the importers, distributos and licencers of carbofuran in Kenya are reading between the lines. Seventh wonder of the world my foot! just brings memories of a congregation of animals amassed for carbofuran to bring down!

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Tags: carbofuran, Crocodile, Gnu, hyena, Kenya, Lion, Mara, Serenget-Mara migration, the Standard newspaper, Zebra

MWEA, SAMBURU, KANO PLAINS, MARA FINDINGS

Hi all. I have been back in the office for 3 days having just toured some of the areas where there has been documentation of carbofuran poisoning. All seems well at the gaze with the full spectacle of the wild animals and birds feeding, playing and even in the act that will culminate in breeding. But is all really well? Indeed it is good news of no poisoning for some places and still bad news of poisoning for others. Nonetheless, for the good news I managed a smile on the last day or is it night of the trip.

Yesterday I received a call alert (‘flash’) from an unfamiliar number. I flashed back but no return flash to signify any urgency. I ignored the number but while I scrolled through my call log to make another call this morning, I stumbled on the number that I was flashed with yesterday. It then struck my mind that I had noted down some numbers during the field trip. I checked my field note book and there I stumbled on it! It belonged to a certain guy in Mwea who I had approached and faked that I needed bird meat. We had then fixed a meeting for early this month. We agreed that he would alert me when he was ready and that he would link me with a bird meat vendor who poisoned the birds. You would not suspect that such a deal can take place in such a place especially given that everybody else seemed busy planting rice.

In the neighbourhood of Kisumu town, in Kano plains, some kilometres past the site that was Ahero Rice Scheme, there is an out grower scheme where locals are growing rice on individual rice plots. During a short stop over, I observed a lot of birds flocked in the place and a couple of farmers were out working in their plots. I talked to one old woman to know if the birds were not a problem at harvest time. She said they were indeed but her grandchildren would chase them away by wails and beating of metal cans. I then asked her if she thought killing of some of the birds would be a solution but she said she did not think it was necessary adding that in any case, birds were being poisoned for meat. I then confirmed that after all, there is poisoning in the area. For a while there was on-going bird poisoning in Ahero Rice Scheme but with the stalling of the operations of the rice scheme, bird congregations have reduced and Furadan supply for use in the irrigation scheme also cut, bringing a cessation in the poisoning frenzy.

Samburu NR seemed all tranquil, with the expected heat dominating the local climatic conditions and emphasizing ‘this is Samburu’. For three days I roamed the reserve with my friend and spotted many carnivores and scavengers. We got to see six lionesses in total but were disturbed that we had spotted no lions absolutely during the three whole-day drives around the national reserve. In fear that poisoning might have taken the lives of quite many of these I ended up talking to an expert in the area who advised me to relax and that the kings of the jungle were around, not always in company of their ‘wives’ and there were strategic localities where these could be found. I was glad the place was safe for the time despite earlier recorded incidences of carnivore poisoning in the area, though she added that she was in the process of getting to find out more about poisoning in the area.

Masai Mara also turned out looking good. I even passed by the Mara Conservancy incognito. The area has had the most recently documented cases of poisoning-this year, 2008. With hippos and lions as the reported victims, both seemed to do just fine. It was captivating witnessing lion/lionesses feasting, playing and in the act of breeding in one encounter.
The lioness below took advantage and got “the lion’s share!”

while the lion paid attention to his queen in an imminently heated up act that would bring forth another generation!

The vultures on the other hand looked good sprawled on the grass, not dead but waiting for thermals.

While others did not mind the flies after an unpoisoned meal.

Generally the presence of the Gnu on the first of their biannual migration to and from (Tanzania for this case) Kenya and Tanzania enhanced the bountifulness of wildlife in the Mara. Isn’t this beautiful?

Keep reading our Wildlife Direct’s blog for the latest in the wildlife poisoning scene.

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Tags: Kano Plains, Masai Mara, Mwea Rice Scheme, poisoning, Samburu National Reserve, Wildlife Direct

Instead of banning carbofuran in agriculture, the EPA  has banned residues on food. I hope we can use this to make a change in Kenya! Check out this press release

EPA Issues Landmark Decision to Prohibit Deadly Pesticide Carbofuran Residues on Food

Decision Will Improve Human Safety and End Poisonings of Birds

(Washington, D.C. – July 24, 2008) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a proposed decision that residues of carbofuran, a toxic pesticide that is used on a variety of crops, will no longer be allowed on food.  This effectively means that carbofuran will have to be removed from the U.S. market, benefiting consumers and farm workers, as well as birds, which are frequently poisoned by the deadly chemical.

“This is a huge victory for the environment. EPA is to be congratulated for taking such decisive action to eliminate the dangers posed by carbofuran,” said Dr. Michael Fry, American Bird Conservancy’s Director of Conservation Advocacy. “This decision is based on overwhelming scientific evidence and sends a clear signal to manufacturers that it doesn’t pay to fight the cancellation of products proven to be harmful.”

The move by EPA is the latest in a long battle to halt all uses of carbofuran (sold under the trade name Furadan). In August of 2006, EPA announced its intention to cancel carbofuran registration due to hazards to birds, other wildlife, and people. However, carbofuran manufacturer FMC Corporation is pursuing a court battle so that it can keep selling the pesticide. This is the first time in twenty years that a pesticide manufacturer has fought cancellation of a registered pesticide.

EPA also announced that following the revocation of food tolerances, it will continue to pursue cancellation of the product. By revoking all food tolerances, it has the effect of speeding its removal from the market. In addition, the decision applies to imported food, which will help eliminate the use of carbofuran in countries that export rice, coffee and bananas to the United States. The decision will go into effect following a public comment period and the issuance of a final notice by the agency.

“EPA’s revocation of tolerances for residues of this toxic pesticide is urgently needed to protect America’s public health, and it will have enormous benefits for America’s wildlife and birds as well,” said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife.

Carbofuran is one of the most deadly pesticides to birds left on the market. It is responsible for the deaths of millions of wild birds since its introduction in 1967, including Bald and Golden Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks, and migratory songbirds. In its 2005 ecological risk assessment on carbofuran, EPA stated that all legal uses of the pesticide were likely to kill wild birds. If a flock of mallards were to feed in a carbofuran treated alfalfa field, EPA predicted that 92% of the birds in the flock would quickly die. EPA analysis has also confirmed that carbofuran is a threat to human health through contaminated food, drinking water, and occupational exposure.

In 2007, the deliberate misapplication of carbofuran by a Colorado farmer killed over 2,200 migratory birds, including Mourning Doves, Horned Larks, Western Meadowlarks, Red-Winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles. The farmer pleaded guilty in federal court for violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Other incidents of bird poisonings by carbofuran are documented in the Avian Incident Monitoring System (www.abcbirds.org/aims) operated by American Bird Conservancy in cooperation with the EPA and state and federal wildlife agencies. In addition to killing birds when used legally, carbofuran is often illegally used in poison baits intended to kill wildlife in agricultural areas and grazing lands. This abuse has resulted in the deaths of raptors including Bald and Golden Eagles.

American Bird Conservancy, Defenders of Wildlife and other conservation and worker protection organizations campaigned for many years to have carbofuran removed from the market. The groups heralded EPA’s decision to cancel registration of the chemical in February 2008 as a clear victory for the environment. Groups supporting the cancellation include: American Bird Conservancy, Alaska Bird Observatory, Archbold Biological Station, Beyond Pesticides, Bird Conservation Network, Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Endangered Habitats League, Friends of Dyke Marsh, Hampshire Bird Club, Massachusetts Audubon Society, Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter, National Audubon Society, Natural Resources Defense Council, Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides, Pesticide Action Network North America, Riveredge Bird Club, Seattle Audubon Society, Taku Conservation Society, Tennessee Ornithological Society, The Endocrine Disruption Exchange, The Institute for Bird Populations, Virginia Society of Ornithology, Washington Toxics Coalition, Wildlife Center of Virginia, Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, World Wildlife Fund, Xerces Society, Maryland Ornithological Society.

More details about EPA’s announcement are available at http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/reregistration/carbofuran/carbofuran_noic.htm.

#30#

American Bird Conservancy (ABC) is the only organization that works solely to conserve native wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. ABC acts to safeguard the rarest bird species, restore habitats, and reduce threats, while building capacity in the conservation movement. ABC is the voice for birds, ensuring that they are adequately protected; that sufficient funding is available for bird conservation; and that land is protected and properly managed to maintain viable habitat. ABC is a 501(c)(3) membership organization that is consistently awarded a top, four-star rating by the independent group, Charity Navigator.

Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With more than 1 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit www.defenders.org.

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Hi. It is a bright thursday 17/07/2008 afternoon unlike the many gloomy, cloudy afternoons that have been since last month. I am perched on my seat looking across a broad window overlooking one of Nairobi’s upper middle class surburbs, otherwise called Hurlingham. As I contemplate where to begin, a Black Kite flies by in my view, twisting and turning its tail, a diagnostic manouvre of the fork-tailed raptor. I then remember the nesting Peregrine Falcon I saw this morning on a high neighbouring building just astride from where Willife Direct’s offices are situated. It then hits me that these guys are safe in town! A Marabou Stork is gliding past as I type.

Alas! the Marabou Storks only two decades ago were birds of the wild. They roamed and scavenged of the carcases in the savannah expanse. Well they still do but most of them have now moved into town. If you happen to be in Nairobi City, and especially as you get into town from our local major airport, the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you will pass by a section of town called Nyayo Stadium(known from the respective stadium) and witness a spectacle of big nests on Acacia trees. This is the largest nesting site of the urbanized storks in Nairobi. The birds have muted excreta on the tarmac, looking smudged after zooming automobiles splash the fresh, pasty substance. The walls of the surrounding buildings are also stained with white cascading trails of the same. Though not entirely free from human persecution, especially from the street urchins who may pick up the weakend old or sick individuals and subject them to teasing and physical torture, the birds are generally comfortable and safe at the judgement of any onlooker. Still, the people around Nyayo stadium seem to have learnt to tolerate the birds and will hardly notice them. My whole point is that the giant birds are safer compared to what is befalling their scavenging mates-the vultures-in the wild.

The Marabou Storks are scavengers and will be seen scavenging alongside vultures and hyenas. Of all the local cases reported of vultures poisoned by carbofuran, I cannot pin-point one that documented Marabou Storks as well, yet these scavenge together in the wild. But I think their ‘humility’ has spared them from the ill fate of this calamity. The Marabous will post sentry as the stronger eagles, vultures and hyenas tussle over the meal of carcass. May be by the time they get the morsel of the whole the carbofuran-laced layer of the carcass is already cleared off by the stronger birds and hyenas. Well, may be this tough competition is one of the factors that led to the coming into town by these giant storks. Nonetheless, I feel though an ambitious move, partly the birrds were saved from the ongoing massacre of their colleagues-vultures-by the killer carbofuran.

Many rate this stork as the ugliest scene of the birds, but the bird has a reputation for being a cleaner of the environment. It will eat decomposing carcasses and most disposables that would be unpalatable even to wild dogs. But their settlement in town does not mean they have moved to absolute safety.Since the birds will be seen to forage in large numbers at dumping sites, at sewage pond ‘wetlands’ and any other filthy sites, still there is menace that the birds could get poisoned by industrial poisons or toxins if these are discharged at their foraging sites. For now, they are safer from carbofuran poisoning than they would be if they were all out in the savannah.

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Tags: Black Kite, carbofuran, eagle, hyena, Marabou Stork, Peregrine Falcon, Wildlife Direct

While Endosulfan is hitting headlines with majority public hatred outcry in Philippines, Carbofuran is hitting headlines with informed minority hatred outcry- those who have seen and know the devastating implications not just to wildlife but also to humans.

But Endosulfan’s effects are witnessed in the exceptionally high prevalence of birth defects among children in Asia. The region adjoining the Plantation Corporation’s cashew plantations in Kerala’s Kasaragod district highly suspected to be linked to the Endosulfan pesticide. May be we are waiting for the same for Carbofuran (Furadan). Furadan’s direct effects to humans are only inferred or better stated, are latent amongst its victims. This is primarily because the poisoning goes on at mild levels in humans hardly attaining the threshold lethal limits to cause immediate death. This is mostly through eating poisoned wildlife and known in this case is the eating of poisoned birds. The birds are eviscerated immediately, but even this is done in a haphazard way and cannot be said to be absolutely free of direct contamination from the bait that killed the bird. These subjects however continue taking the chemical over time and cumulatively. Therefore, there must be effects, may be even deaths. Further, these contamination cases are not documented and there is therefore no data to support this. Contrary to the undetectable case in humans, the effects are obvious in the animals that we so crudely poison with the Carbofuran-carnivores, birds, herbivores etc.

Either way, the link between Endosulfan and carbofuran is that both are pesticides. In addition, both are being hailed deadly toxins in our environment. Well, another striking similarity is that both are wreaking havoc in their areas of use but those with the powers to oust them in these areas are reluctant, not that the evidence is lacking but most likely the chemical product boosts the agricultural productivity of an area/region/country but yet again monetary income is grande and some of the investors may be the ones having to stand and effect the ousting of the chemical, a challenging and self-crucifying move. But what is better than saving the entire biodiversity and man? Well in the end such a move remains the noble one.

The simple, uninformed “wildlife poisoners” cling on to Carbofuran because it is an ultimate killer, the same reason for which they should abhor it. But even they have identified it as a way to improve their status on richness scale: the carnivore killer’s dream is to own a larger herd; the bird hunter wants his supply to be larger. To both, Carbofuran will do the magic. It is all in the quest for affluence.

It is disturbing to realize that most effective chemical poisons bear a curse which is that they are NOT POTENTIALLY POISONOUS (AS SAID OF ALL CHEMICAL PESTICIDES), BUT ARE JUST POISONS! I wish it were otherwise.

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Tags: bird, carbofuran, Carnivore, Endosulfan, furadan, herbivore, poison, Wildlife

Hi. I have reason to be scared of the Busia birds’ poisoning . I therefore continue posting the critical findings as I strongly believe if we go on to gather more concrete data from this area we can touch the Kenyan government’s soft spot to act on the chemical behind this unreasonable bird mortalities -carbofuran-and at the wrong time, the reasons for which you will see below.

Take a look at the following birds courtesy of Oisseux.net (first photo) and Minziro Daudi (second and third photos). Can you identify and sex them?

How about these ones?

Repetition eh?

I photographed these dead ones (except the fifth bird which survived after it was given plenty of water) in Busia, just a portion representative of the whole scenario. They are in breeding plumage. The Wattled Starling(picture 4) is a male individual in full breeding adornment-the showy, yellow forehead ‘bald’ extending to the face behind and under the eye. the fifth bird is a male Fan-tailed Widowbird in breeding plumage as well. The piled streaked individuals (picture 6) and the dark one are Fan-tailed Widowbirds- probably a male and his wives; a whole colony destroyed with no offspring to replace them. The message sent above is that “We are being killed when we are breeding. Who replaces us?” Bear in mind this species of birds in Kenya is only restricted to the region around Lk. Victoria and another distal range at the coast of Kenya, bordering the Indian Ocean. Inland, between these two water bodies, there are no Fan-tailed Widowbird populations.
In most birds, males acquire the most attractive regalia in breeding season due to hormonal changes to attract the females. I think man’s appetite for wild protein is most misplaced at this time in birds’ lives. This means nest failures or no breeding individuals which clearly spells declines in numbers wit curtailed breeding of the surviving numbers. One of the locals who claims having abandoned the business during the time when the irrigation scheme stalled its operations between 1998-2004 observed that these birds and many others are much less, admitting having observed their declines even while he was still baiting them.There is large-scale decline in birds’ numbers based on the hunters’ statistics who said daily catch per trapping field ranges from 20 to 200 birds in a day. Bird baiting is carried out in at least 4 sites on the average, daily. This translates to mortality values of 80 to 800 birds in one day. If this is in breeding season, then the breeding and nesting failures are disastrous to the birds’ populations.

Kindly support WD’s Stop Wildlife Poisoning Task force to get to the ground and gather more data and create awareness that will put an end to these birds’ killing.

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Tags: carbofuran, Fan-tailed Widowbird, hunters, poisoning, Wattled Starling, Wildlife Direct's Stop Wildlife Poisoning Task Force

Hi, I am back from field. No poisoning encounters during my short trip to Machakos in eastern Kenya. I am yet to get down to Mwea. Only through a phone call yesterday, I was briefed by a friend that carbofuran poisoning is on as always. ‘The people of Mwea cannot resist the ducks’, my informant jocked!

As part of Wildlife Direct’s campaign against carbofuran, we wish to come up with supportive statistics of human cases of intoxication by carbofuran so that we try to win Kenya’s Ministry of Public Health’s support in the campaign against carbofuran.

Two sites have been identified so far where humans are eating birds killed through carbofuran poisoning. These are Mwea and Bunyala irrigation schemes in Eastern and Western provinces of Kenya respectively. There are allegations by laymen from Mwea that when you feed on the carbofuran-poisoned ducks, you feel a sensation described only as ‘weak knees’ after the meal, which clears up shortly after (nervous disfunctioning?). They add that continued regular feeding on the poisoned birds eventually kills the people who fancy the poisoned birds’ meat. $ 600 is required to get someone to these two sites to:

1. Interview the people who subsist on the poisoned birds and,

2. To obtain human neurotoxication (relating to nervous disfunctioning which might suggest effects of carbofuran) data from nearby health centres and,

3. Gather similar data from health centres whose surrounding population is not exposed to carbofuran-poisoned wildlife for their subsistence for comparison with data in where individuals are eating carbofuran-poisoned birds.

The more the evidence we gather against carbofuran, the bigger our alliance becomes. This then accredits more the appeal by Dr. Richard Leakey to barn carbofuran in Kenya and increases the chances of this conservation appeal being heeded.

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Tags: carbofuran, poisoning, Richard Leakey, Wildlife Direct

USA is struggling to ban carbofuran, in Kenya we are struggling under its sinewy arm that continues to batter wildlife. Then we hear of carbofuran poisoning in Canada as reported by The Daily Observer where the Canadian Ministry of Natural Resources is investigating into a case where baits with the chemical have been laid in the country’s Drizzle Park area and are a threat to wildlife. But there is light at the end of the tunnel for Scotland’s birds of prey as reported in News.scotland.com website. I hope more lights spring up at the end of the many poison tunnels! This is chemical warfare on our biodiversity.

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