Stop Wildlife Poisoning

Category: carbofuran | Date: Apr 06 2009 | By: Martin Odino

Hi. Since February this year (2009) I am focusing my efforts around Bunyala rice growing area in Western Kenya. Judging from my posts, the place is notoriously a Furadan bird poisoning hot spot. I am trying to quantify the threat of Furadan to bird species in this area (a case study for Kenya). This is through counting of bird numbers for every species targeted by the mode of poisoning and the respective numbers that get killed in a transect. At the moment I am aware of two methods of poisoning birds: using Furadan-laced snail baits together with live Open-billed stork(s) decoy(s). This targets only Open-billed Storks. The other method involves lacing termites with Furadan and targets a wider range of birds.

I am also conducting informal interviews with the poachers as well as consumers of the poisoned birds to find  out if there are any indications of illnesses resulting or experienced from consuming the poisoned birds. I intend to do this as a proper questionnaire process during the peak poisoning time. Then I am bound to get more precise responses on what the people are experiencing given they will also be eating plenty of the poisoned wild bird meat.

So my assistants and I are at the moment busy counting the live and dead birds. The whole process involves:

Observing then identifying and counting from a distance especially when the poachers you are dealing with are wary and not so accommodating. The job has to be done regardless!

(Here, I am watching, identifying and counting from a distance).

Or take photos from a distance and then zoom them in to count the dead birds which mostly will be exposed before being kept away in bags.

(A photo from a distance. I estimated the birds to be 7 Sandpipers and 1 Yellow Wagtail).

(Another distant photo. I estimated 4 dead storks in the sack)

Dealing with accommodating poachers is easier and we sit through the entire poisoning process. We are given time to identify the species in hand and count all poisoned individuals once gathered.

(A practice photo of myself identifying a Ruff in hand, taken by my local assistant).

We are then allowed to take photographs.

(A close up of 2  poisoned Ringed Plovers)

 (Poisoned storks and the poison in a container closeby)

Sometimes I even ask questions and get answers. Further, I am able to give my genuine opinion against poisoning which is sometimes criticized especially through the arguments that bird poisoning is their source of livelihood; a source of income to the poachers and source of food to the consumers. The main problem is that both believe that the mode of cooking the poisoned birds detoxicates the meat.

I hope to introduce these people to alternative economic activities when this project comes to an end later this year.  This is a possible venture because water is abundant in the area, and vegetables are under produced mainly due to lack of know-how.  If this water is properly used for vegetable farming and proper agricultural knowledge disseminated, more income should be realized and nutritious vegetables rather than intoxicated meat will be available for local consumption.

Tags: Bunyala, furadan, Kenya, poachers, poisoning, wild bird meat

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