Hello dear readers. Yesterday we received with joy the news that FMC has officially halted the shipment of furadan into Kenya (all of East Africa, South Africa and Africa at large) and will buy back the existing stockpiles laying dangerously in our agrovet stores presumably within eight weeks. Bravo FMC!
However, while the pesticide still lies in the care of agricultural store keepers and poachers, we know poisoning by this lethal compound will still continue. Worse is if greedy agrovet store keepers will stash away some stock to continue supplying some poachers to whom the commodity is treasure (at the moment, the commodity’s cost has risen. Maximizing on sales by retailers?!).We are therefore still crying loud and bitter to the local pesticide regulation bodies to act and bar the product that may still be widely circulating out there even with the retrieval by its manufacturer. It is doubtless that this pesticide is just a careless murderer and therefore no doubt that its restriction would be the noble action to be imposed on it locally, or else it will continue with the massacre of wildlife.
My survey has and continues to witness sorry scenes but also beautiful ones, with the latter likely to be more pronounced if Furadan becomes history. Furadan poisoning of vultures in Kenya has resulted in shocking mortalities of the scavenger birds. With generally all birds of prey at the worst risk (of all kinds of birds) since they have lower reproductive rates and successes, their beauty here in Busia is something of a spectacle, but I cannot help fearing if they will survive. Not if there is evidence of poisoning of their counterparts in my full view.
The Yellow-billed Kite above was seen in my study site. A poacher confessed to having seen it feeding on a furadan poisoned waterbird.
Looking at the dorsal side of this bird, it appears poked, most likely the action of a bill of another scavenging bird. An abommination, since this other bird may also have ended up dying! It is for this reason that I fear if the raptors are surviving the poisoning alright.
The shed above is normally used by the person overseeing the field operations in rice production. After rice harvesting, the poachers take over and use it as a slaughter house! This explains the scattered feathers about the structure.
This male Common Kestrel is sitting on top of the shed above. May be to catch his breath given he is hunting insects (I saw them catch locusts) in strong tropical heat. That would be ok. Much as we know that Kestrels hunt and don’t scavenge, we can just never be so sure. With the stress of the heat and need to be well fleshed on their journey back North, I dreaded that he may have seen some entrails thrown about by poachers and tempted to pick them up which would be risky because these would have the fresh poison. Or furadan-laced insect bait forgotten or left behind by poachers. Well, just my fear.
Another Common Kestrel came to occupy the same position after the other one had left.
Yet another Kestrel, warming up for the day.
A Kestrel, now in flight!
More Kestrels (appearing above the two hills)at a beautiful sunset.
A Black-chested Snake Eagle.
Post-furadan days should be hey days!safer birds and wildlife!
Donations made here are
Mar 4th Tom T USD 11.50