Stop Wildlife Poisoning

Category: carbofuran | Date: Mar 30 2009 | By: Martin Odino

Hi people! It is so disturbing that most of the birds that I have encountered poisoned during this March-April phase of my study are migrants. Just corresponds with the time when the visitors are about to take off to their breeding lands. While most of my earlier posts have depicted use of live decoys to enhance furadan poisoning, I have just witnessed another form of poisoning; using termites laced in Furadan to poison birds. This seems a form of poisoning way worse that the decoy technique, and kills indiscriminately a whole range of bird species. Decoy technique is rather restricted to African Open-billed Storks which are specialist snail feeders.
Yesterday, I watched sadly as a group of 13 meek Abdim’s Storks walked to their deaths. The poacher got his baits ready then went ahead to herd the birds where the baits had been laid. I had the opportunity to watch it all happen and this is how it all went:

The poacher is readying his poisoning gear above. Mark the purple furadan solution in the tiny container at the lower side of the photo.

Stirring to evenly mix the poisonous solution.

Spreading open of the polythene bag with termtes in readiness to mix the termites with the furadan solution.

The poacher using his bear hands to lace the termites with furadan just prior to setting out the baits and herding the Abdim’s to the bait.

The eventual death of the beautiful storks hardly an hour later!

More Abdim’s carcasses being examined by my assistant.

Surely, this pesticide is up to no good.

Tags: Abdim's Stork, furadan, Poacher, poisoning

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