Vignettes of Wildlife Killing
Category: Uncategorized | Date: Oct 22 2008 | By: Martin
Apologies for my absentism which made it impossible for me to post any stories. I was out in Amboseli National Park which looked all tranquil and safe. Jumbos are big and dominant.
Back in Nairobi, I have received a number of poisoning incidences but are sketches of the real stories. I blame inadequate expertise and the complexity of the killing method(poisoning). Few people if at all any, can suspect poisoning, itself a phantom killing method that can only be positively implicated after complex laboratory procedures.
My supervisor in my Furadan surveys emailed me sometime back that she had heard of a Crowned Eagle killed through Furadan poisoning on 13/10/2008. Her assisitant had collected it at their owl reserch centre in rural central Kenya in Nyeri district. Her efforts to get in touch with the asistant were futile therefore it was not possible for her to get the carcass for testing and photographs for the post. Nonetheless, this is not the first time to get information on poisoning by Furadan from the area. A Mackinder’s Eagle Owl died from the same in the area after eating dying mousebirds that were poisoned with Furadan by farmers near Mweiga, Nyeri District. Though I would challenge that mousebirds are too small a prey for the Crowned Eagle, in some way the chemical may have gotten to be ingested by the raptor.
I also got an update on 14/10/2008 of fish poisoning using thiodan or endosulfan in Tanzania. 6 galons of the chemical were poured into River Kilombero about 13 kms from the Udzungwa Mountain National Park and villagers in the neighbourhood cautioned against using the water for domestic purposes by the fishermen. Supposedly, scores of schools of fish floated to their death only to be collected downstream by the fishermen. A commendable job I would say to warn the locals not to use the contaminated water, but all that is annulled when it is still the fishermen that have contaminated the water. Still, it is the human race that eats the indiscriminately harvested fish. Just a silly mental justification captured in the old adage,’Out of sight, out of mind’. The fishermen cannot bear the sight of the villagers suffering under their noses, but if anyone else suffers downstream from using the water or from eating the intoxicated fish carcases, it is none of their business.
Yesterday I talked to a friend, Evans, who has been studying the effects of bush meat trade on wildlife, now compiling his reports. As we settled down on discussing our campaigns,their similarities emerged, myself against poisoning, himself aginst snares in particular. In either case, these techniques are indiscreminate or to put it plainly, they are wasteful. A pastoralist using furadan to bait the lion that attacked and ate one of his cattle will in the process not even kill the culprit lion which is compeled by its full stomach to retire to a bush and sleep. This lion may even go for two days without eating. The victims of the infuriated pastoralist’s poisoning therefore end up being feeble innocent carnivores and scavengers that will come to eat of the left overs of the lion’s kill. Evans says the snares also target every other beast, intended or unintended. Idealy, the snares are meant for wild herbivores but this is not always the case. A sad case, he narrated was when a wire snare intended for a wild ungulate caught a hyena by the neck, cutting through its oesophagus. While the poor animal managed to cut herself lose, her wish to be a survivor of bush meat snares never came true. Evans states how he witnessed her at a zebra carcass trying to eat but the food came out through the gush in the neck! The hyena eventually died after a tough struggle of excruciating pain. I can feel the pain as I write. In the case of the wildbeests, his study in the Mara revealed a decline in wildebeest numbers from 160,000 to just about 40,000 at the moment. This has occured in just a few decades in our time! Clearly, the marveled at wonder of the world might just not survive as long as the others given the status quo of merciless wildlife killings.I think in every respect humanity has turned beastly to wildlife.
Tags: Amboseli National Park, Crowned Eagle, furadan, hyena, Kenya, Mackinder's Eagle Owl, Poiosning, Tanzania, Thiodan, Udzungwa Mountains National Reserve
A poisons’ (especially Furadan’s) weekend!
Category: Pesticides, carbofuran | Date: Oct 05 2008 | By: Martin
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!
Apologies if this post’s heading is troubling; I could not find any better title. I also wish to humbly inform my dear readers that I must leave certain organization’s names out so that this does not turn personal. I was not comfortable when somebody that matters in one pesticide organization told me, ‘welcome! I have heard about you and I am glad I have seen you’.
I went through a turbulent end of the week! I literally spent the Friday and Saturday struggling in my limited ways together with one remarkable conservationist heading the Kenyan office of a renowned international conservation organization, trying to get the details of recent Furadan poisoning of fish in Tanzania. I am still optimistic that I will get some details and hopefully, photos sent my way across the border (from Tanzania) of the poisoning ordeal. I should then surely avail the story on the stopwildlifepoisoning blog. At the moment, I only know that 6 gallons of liquid Furadan were poured in Kilombero River to kill fish with the fishermen warning the villagers not to use the river water for domestic purposes. This happened sometime last week.
I spent the weekend combing papers and articles on carbofuran especially Furadan 5G, the grossly alleged threat to Kenya’s wildlife. I must get certain facts right to be able to tackle the various troubling facets that challenge this stop wildlife poisoning campaign, in particular the campaign against Furadan pesticide as the poison. These have been manifested in my interactions especially with the people dealing with pesticides before it gets to the users.
It is now apparent that the discussion about Furadan is not a discussion but a sad war. It has become tough for me to get any relevant information from the pesticides fellows. It starts with word games where we have been repeatedly warned that we should talk of Furadan poisoning and not Carbofuran poisoning despite the active ingredient being carbofuran. I was recently advised for my knowledge that carbofuran is not sent nor sold in Kenya, but as far as I know, it is sold and sent to Kenya in the Furadan preparation. Nonetheless, I am going to stick to Furadan poisoning to save myself from the inconvenience of being interrupted and getting confused from the flow of my conversation that I should not mention carbofuran poisoning but Furadan poisoning. That is not the end of the war, I am disappointed when I am directed to a website where I cannot find information especially concerning a follow up on a Furadan alleged case of poisoning (Mara lion poisoning). Either the information is not there absolutely, or it is hidden behind the locks of a registration fee that is required for anyone to have full success of the information on the website. I wonder why positive counter allegation evidence to an issue that sparked terror and implicated a great need to mend holes in the pesticide regulation /manufacture fraternity would be kept hidden from the public. Many questions therefore arise as to the credibility of the findings of the follow up which was summarised as ‘there was no connection between the dead animals and carbofuran’ in the Mara.
I have also been trying to find out the carbofuran products that may have been or are still of concern in other places in the world in trying to establish if I can link it up to the Kenyan scenario. Based on a report in late 1990’s-crop-profile-of-rice-in-california.pdf- I stumbled on a profile description of Furadan 5G, the exact carbofuran product that may cost Kenya its wildlife and probably aggravate the neurotic disorders of its citizens. Various aspects of Furadan 5G are highlighted including its safety. According to the report, carbofuran was on the Food Quality Protection Act list 1 of insecticides scheduled to have their tolerances reassessed by August 1999. As a carbamate, the report revealed that the reassessment of carbofuran may result in the elimination of some uses. The product seems to have been praised for its minimal effects on non-target arthropods and fish. This is not what we are experiencing in Kenya, or are we dealing with a compound pseudo-labelled Furadan 5G when the reality is that it is a higher concentrate carbofuran product? Our Furadan 5G product even has one of the hazard labels cautioning on harm on fish. It does not make sense when it is generally stated in a communication to me that Furadan 5G is generally less toxic than the active ingredient carbofuran by 20-40 times. Fish were poisoned last week in Tanzania and birds, also fish are still being poisoned in Kenya using Furadan 5G. These have ended up and will continue ending up in East African peoples’ digestive systems, the actual effects on their health of which need the medical personnel to unveil.
I also gathered from an International POPs Elimination Project report of 2005– that spelt doom due to the hazardous state attributed to many chemical stockpiles including poor storage of which Desert Locust Control (DLCO) East Africa was sited. DLCO particularly struck me because it was reported that they had switched from mostly organchlorines which were banned due to persistence, environmental effects and bioconcentration in fatty tissues, but switched to amongst others carbamates carbaryl and propoxur. These are less hazardous to the environment but more acutely hazardous to human and animal health. When these poisons are injected into the air, they will not only just bring down the insects (starting with locusts) but also birds (directly or indirectly) and what of the humans that get in contact with the poisons or even those that might eat the birds killed in the exercise?
The poisoning saga in Kenya is terrifying, especially when the true knowledge of the deadly implications of the pesticides being used to kill vermin and wild animals is sat on squarely by the relevant authorities so that for some reason the public does not get to it. This looks bad especially when the whole situation appears to take full advantage of public ignorance and employing otherwise deadly chemicals that qualify to be termed poisonous. Sometimes, sharing the knowledge on these chemicals is worthwhile and may enhance livelihood security.
Tags: carbamates, furadan, Kenya, Kilombero, Pesticides, Stop Wildlife Poisoning Campaign, Tanzania, Wildlife
Lessons from China milk poisoning for the Kenyan situation
Category: carbofuran | Date: Oct 01 2008 | By: Martin
Melamine-contaminated milk poisoning in China as we now know did not begin with the epidemic of kidney stones in human kids that reached us just a couple of weeks ago. Gorilla babies, orangoutans and a lion cub have followed suit. Many more animals that rely on the mammary gland effusion must have fallen victim as well. I have not heard of the baby Pandas which should be also in China’s zoos, thanks God! Hopefully this is not being kept from the world. Such a trend assumed by the melamine poisoning only evokes fear and abomination!
The real reason that the poisoning reality was suppressed as is highlighted is that so that the privilege of hosting the Olympic Games would not be taken away. China seems to have been wrestling to conceal a violent turbulence of intoxicants for a while. This year’s Olympic games host managed to ‘contain’ the problem of atmospheric pollution that had also threatened its being the games’ host and now the melamine catastrophe that was apparently successfully contained in the secretive bag but which has raptured open letting loose the reality as scores of Kidney Stones diseased humans and wildlife alike. What is worse is that much of the entire world may have already had a taste of the harmful intoxicants.
The temptation to conceal an evil because it will ruin an imminent fortune is high but in most cases turns out more harmful than useful. China has seen a ban on many of its exports by many of its largest importers of its products and even the fortune acquired during the Olympics may cancel out with the loses on imports and the health investment towards the threatened human and wildlife residents.
Statements against our revelations on Furadan wildlife poisoning such as, “when you proclaim before the whole world that Kenya’s wildlife in parks is threatened by Furadan is putting the tourism industry at risk and portraying a bad image of our country” are very common amongst the guys that should be in the fore front in addressing the problem of Furadan poisoning to our wildlife. For some reason, they would rather have the wildlife fetch revenue, despite the ongoing depopulation of the animals in the background. At WildlifeDirect, through the Stop Wildlife Poisoning Task Force, we are trying to take measures that will stop the country from the possible disgrace of losing our wildlife particularly carnivores and birds, and even humans to Furadan. We are washing our torn, dirty linen while asking for its washing and mending rather than to have the world laugh at us. We are still asking for your support. This month and next month are particularly crucial in the sense that they are likely to be characterised by marked poisoning incidences especially in rice-growing areas, being the start of the planting season. Our financial resources are still low yet we want to begin awareness as a vital bird/wildlife poisoning pace reducing tool during our surveys as we seek a long-term solution to Furadan poisoning. In an earlier post, I put up our 1 year, $20000 budget. I believe through your support we can curb this imminent carnivore/scavenger loss that could lead to banning by our greatest importers of our commodity (tourism) in their market. Yet in this case, the wildlife loss may be irreversible!
Thank you very much those of you who have been supporting this Stop Wildlife Poisoning Campaign. Please keep reading our blog for the latest poisoning news.
Tags: China, furadan, gorilla, intoxicant, Lion, melamine, Orangoutan, poison, pollution, Stop Wildlife Poisoning Campaign, Stop Wildlife Poisoning Task Force, Wildlife Direct
Furadan not ranked amongst top ten most used pesticides by crop farmers
Category: carbofuran | Date: Sep 22 2008 | By: Martin
I am looking at a 200g pesticide pack just 15cm away on my desk. It is Furadan 5G.
In a workshop on pesticide externalities that I attended hardly a fortnight ago, it turned out that Furadan 5G is not ranked amongst the top ten most used pesticide in a sampled part of central Kenya. Central Kenya is an intensive crop production zone favoured by optmum climatic conditions. Due to small land sizes together with the entrepreneural nature of the native community who grow food crop for sell in the nearby country’s capital city Nairobi, pesticide use is high for maximum yields. It is amazing however that Furadan, an acclaimed effective nematicide is not ranked amongst the most used pesticides in the area.
In my first Furadan survey, I found 88% Furadan availability in the areas that I surveyed. These were mostly around Nairobi. This area is characterized by both pastoralist and crop farming activities areas, though these are markedly distinct. In summary I found out that the crop farmers knew little about Furadan compared to pastoralists. Now that this product is not in high use especially in the agricultural stronghold in the neighbourhood of Nairobi gives an option of its use in the not so far pastoralist neighbourhood. I am afraid this just a confirms my survey’s inference and the way I had wished I was wrong.
It is worrying to think that the sole purpose for which Furadan is meant for as an insect/nematode pesticide is becoming obsolete if it has not already. A killer’s ready preparation for poisoning?
Tags: crop farming, furadan, pastoralist, pesticide
King George Bald Eagle
Category: Organophosphates | Date: Sep 03 2008 | By: Martin
The Kenyan-based raptor conservationist Simon Thomsett once put it in a statement that seemed humorously ridiculous, “I literally saw vultures drop from the skies”. The vultures in refernce here had eaten furadan-laced carcass. Reading the King George Bald Eagle’s incidence, I get the feeling that he may have literally dropped from the skies and sadly succumbed to injuries sustained due to disorientation by the organophosphate poisoning.
Tags: Bald Eagle, furadan, organophosphate poisoning, Simon Thomsett, vultures
MEMOIRS OF BUSIA POISONING
Category: carbofuran | Date: Sep 02 2008 | By: Martin
In yesterday’s post, I put up a photograph of the Australian Cane Toad which is known to be a poison bag for amongst other predators, the crocodiles and wallabies (the likes of kangaroos) in Australia. Just while evolution experts may explain that the frog may have evolved this mechanism over time so as to be unpalatable to its predators who were a threat to its numbers (the situation is now different with the species know to multiply wildly, the result of species introduction where conditions in new place favour its success and therefore may be with less diverse predators that cannot match up to the frog species numbers, the frog thrives. This is the case of alien species turned invasive). The whole point is that the cane toad must have evolved its unpalatability as a counter mechanism to an unfavourable condition, in this case predation.
In Kenya, the poachers who poison birds have knowledge of particular birds that do not succumb easily to the poison. Whether this is a physiological mechanism, or a learned behaviour in others, I honestly cannot tell, but the fact is, you have to go through a lot of trouble if you have to lay your hands on such birds.
In an older post, I mentioned that Marabou Storks are renowned scavengers yet I have not witnessed or heard of the bird die where vultures fell victim of poisoning, particularly Furadan poisoning. Yet the bird poses in wait at almost any other kill or still baited kill where vultures congregate to eat. May be the reason is the more aggressive vultures eat up all the poison lacing and when the Marabou eats last, it has the least exposure to the poison.
In Busia, Cattle Egrets are said to be not so good targets of poisoning. But I think it is the egrets as a whole. Locals would not know how to differentiate them; yet again I know the other egrets prefer more of the wetland area in paddy fields than the Cattle Egrets. These are the Great Egret and the Yellow-billed Egret. These birds are said to swallow baited insects but comfortably take to the wing. The few that get to die fly tens of miles away before dropping dead.
Great Egret
Yellow-billed Egret
The egrets, storks and herons all constitute the family cicorniformes. Now I would be biased to think that this family is unique, whether as a result of evolution, that I cannot tell but in some way, the Marabou Stork and the Egrets seem to an extent to beat the odds of poisoning. But I cannot explain the matter with their ‘open-mouthed’ counterparts, the Open-billed Storks who are poisoned in large numbers for food, although even these if not beaten dead when they get disoriented, a number end up flying away. Food and feeding habits are a little different, but the poachers employ relevant baits to nail their quarry but still they explain disappointment particularly for the egrets.
Game birds are another puzzle as they seem to suspiciously regard any human-laid bait. Guineafowls and some francolins are confessed by hunters to be a hard target.
So, for deadly chemicals, with Furadan being the chemical of choice in Busia, certain birds, seem to have their way to spare the lives of a good number of their members.
Tags: Busia, Cane Toad, francolin, furadan, game birds, Great Egret, guineafowl, Yellow-billed Egret
Please submit comments on the EPA’s carbofuran revocation proposal
Category: carbofuran | Date: Aug 19 2008 | By: Claudia Hodkinson
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
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.
Tags: Carbofuran ban, carbofuran revocation proposal, EPA, furadan, wildlife poisoning
In the face of poisoning
Category: Uncategorized | Date: Jul 24 2008 | By: Martin
HI. I am so sorry for being ‘off’. I hooked a hike. I am in Sopa Lodge in Samburu National Reserve for the night as I type. See the photo below. Sorry for the poor quality: Power was running low and the photo was taken in the night at around 22.15hrs. yet the lighting conditions of my simple room were not the best. The place has neither cell phone nor internet connection but I will post this out tomorrow once I am somewhere there is accessibility to network within the park.
A friend invited me on a bird survey/guiding tour. I thought it worthwhile to accompany him because I noticed his circuit included places where wildlife poisoning is known to occur. While the circuit begins from Nairobi, it covers areas of Thika town outskirts, Mwea, Samburu, Baringo, Kakamega, Kisumu Masai Mara and then back to Nairobi. I have been to some of these places and I thought it wise to get to observe for poisoning and interview one or two people.
Having come through Mwea Rice Scheme, I was able to talk to two people. The first directed me to a second party who i made a ‘false’ appointment with to get poisoned ducks from early next month. We even exchanged contacts and he is eagerly waiting for the time to reach and I will be his guest. He told me he does not poison birds himself but there are specialists who poison the birds using Furadan and when the time came he would link me up with them. It is a pity that poisoning is shielded so that it goes on behind the scenes. This makes detection very hard and therefore this situation may run out of hand if it does not receive immediate attention. Here I was standing right in the face of poisoning while all seemed so well when in fact it is otherwise. In addition he told me the National Irrigation Board carries out aerial sprays against vermin birds when the crop is maturing and almost ready for harvest. Unfortunately, their exercise is indiscriminate. He told me that this year, the exercise will be on about November. The young man further pointed out that these poisonings are executed mostly at roosting sites and birds die en masse. He said that nobody collects the birds, more so smaller species. Large species collected, mostly ducks are taken for consumption. He mentioned three species that he knew were falling victim of aerial sprays: Egrets, Herons and Ducks. At the time I joined my friend and he expressed disappointment that he had not been able to locate one species known to occur here amongst its other known few, restricted ranges. Honestly I could not help wondering quietly if the poisonings were not contributing to the scarcity of the bird species(Yellow-crowned Bishop).
More will be on your way as we get to the sites
Here’s me posting, after I got to Safaricom network (at Viewpoint, in Samburu Game Reserve) area 30hrs later.
“Blood Pesticides”
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.
Tags: bird, carbofuran, Carnivore, Endosulfan, furadan, herbivore, poison, Wildlife
If Furadan was bitter….
Category: Uncategorized | Date: Jun 30 2008 | By: Martin
It is no doubt now that hunting was and still contributes largely to the loss of biodiversity. Many governments have put stringent penalties on hunters of wildlife. In a way it has worked because gone are days when you would meet a hunter wielding a gun, a spear or a bow and arrow unless if they have a licence. But hunting continues only that the new methods are not obvious. A new generation of hunters are now phantoms. They leave no trace afterwards. Further, they kill to destroy rather than to control. People did not go shooting down all the lions in Tsavo because amongst them were man-eaters during the reign of the man-eaters of Tsavo. Nowadays, an attack by a leopard on one’s sheep will most likely prompt the killing of all wild carnivores in sight. They do not kill to eat because the frothing carcases on the poisoning fields are not picked while fresh to eat. Still, if they do, some of the poisoned wander away and are not retrieved. Poisoned birds in Kenya are a good example.
Then who are these people?Hunters or Poisoners?But these are just innovative folks who have taken advantage of what the manufacturer of a compound overlooked. Strychnine has some distasteful bitterness which is why I think it is distasteful to animals with keen sense of taste such as many herbivores. Virtually all birds do not taste and this may explain their vulnerability to strychnine. Carnivores can ignore a degree of distastefulness and unpalatability. I have seen dogs eat soil-ladden placenta from a cow that had just calfed.I wondered if they were not uncomfortable with the grittiness of the soil. This renders them(carnivores) vulnerable to strychnine I believe.Furadan neither smells nor tastes. In my opinion, it is easily consumed and therefore could have even more devastating effects than strychnine. What if FMC made furadan unpalatable. The liquid form did fine for grain-eating birds but not any more with the new generation of hunters who want furadan solution to soak seeds for the birds to eat (for example in Kenya). What if they made it bitter?My mother would mix sugar with quinine to stop me from eating it. It worked. Not that I am a carnivore!Giving a diststeful property would lower chances of it being consumed by many wild animals because this will give them a chance to employ their sense of taste and spare their lives. A better option than banning?Is it possible?Is this a feasible solution to promote Wildlife Direct’s Stop Wildlife Poisoning campaign efforts?
Tags: Carnivore, furadan, Lion, Stop Wildlife Poisoning Campaign, strychnine, Tsavo, Wildlife Direct
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Subscribe to the Stop Wildlife Poisoning feed.