Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Since fi rearms are diffi cult for most Kenyans to legally obtain, poisons are widely used to
control predators/pests and to (illegally) harvest bushmeat (Odino, Ogada and Musila 2008).
Inexpensive, readily available and highly toxic poisons are most effective, and, for all these
reasons, Furadan has been especially popular as a poison in Kenya. Initially imported into the
country in the 1960s for use in rice paddies, Furadan fi rst appeared on the radar of Kenya's con-
servation movement in the mid-1990s, when it was misused in rice schemes to kill ducks and
other waterbirds, which were then harvested for human consumption (Odino and Ogada 2008a,
and see Section 3.3).
After this illegal use of Furadan was specifi cally fl agged as a potential issue, talks were under-
taken with FMC Corporation (the minutes of these and ensuing discussions can still be found in the
Ornithology Section of the National Museums of Kenya). As a result of these initial meetings, FMC
offi cials stated that they had attempted to make one of their products (i.e., Furadan 5G) unpalatable
to granivorous birds, an attempt which apparently proved to be unsuccessful. There was then a gen-
eral loss of momentum regarding the wildlife poisoning issue by all sides concerned. When, nearly
20 years later, what is sometimes referred to as 'the carbofuran menace' resurfaced (in June 2007 to
be exact), the same researchers and wildlife conservationists, many of whose work is detailed within
this chapter, regrouped and invested considerable effort in generating awareness at the community
level, nationally and internationally.
In 2007, following an increasing spate of lion and vulture poisonings in northern Kenya (i.e.,
Isiolo District), the Bird Committee of Nature Kenya allocated funding for an intern from the
National Museums of Kenya's (NMK) Ornithology Department (Martin Odino, author of Section
3.3) to survey farmers and agrovets regarding the misuse of Furadan and other agro-chemicals
to intentionally poison wildlife. The survey and research conducted in parallel revealed that not
only was Furadan being used to kill animals for food, it was also widely viewed as a means to
kill 'nuisance' animals including crocodiles (in the Tana River), squirrels and hawks on farms,
and stray dogs (i.e., Odino and Ogada 2008a). Previous reports of birds, hyenas, lions and hippos
(among others) that had (allegedly) been poisoned using Furadan, and that had been brought to the
attention of the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and other Kenyan wildlife conservation authori-
ties since the early 2000s, were also consolidated/highlighted (Kahumbu 2009). Unfortunately, for
reasons discussed in Section 3.8, few of these fi ndings have been corroborated by forensic analysis
or investigation.
In response, a meeting was convened with representatives from conservation groups, researchers
and governmental agencies, including NMK, BirdLife International, World Wildlife Fund (WWF)),
Nature Kenya, KWS, WildlifeDirect and representatives from the Pest Control Products Board
(PCPB) on 25 April 2008 and a taskforce was set up. The fi rst 'Stop Wildlife Poisoning' taskforce
meeting was held later in April 2008, and those in attendance were appraised of the magnitude of the
problem, not just for lions/mammalian scavengers and vultures, but also for fi sh and aquatic birds,
which had received (and still receive) far less attention.
A year or so later, on 29 March 2009, a segment titled 'Poisoned' (which examined the
allegation that Furadan was being used to poison lions and was indirectly killing vultures and
hyenas in Kenya) was aired on the popular American television program '60 Minutes' (http://
www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5189491n&tag=related;photovideo). Shortly after that, FMC
announced that it would retrieve unused Furadan supplies in Kenya through a buy-back programme,
which commenced in May 2009. On 13 February 2010, FMC announced on their website that
they had ' . . . repurchased Furadan 5G from distributors and retailers in Tanzania, Uganda and
Kenya,' and that 'The buy-back programme remains open for any product that might still be in
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