Stop Wildlife Poisoning

Category: Pesticides, carbofuran | Date: Jul 17 2008 | By: Martin

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

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