PESTICIDE POISONING OF BIRDS IN BUNYALA IMPLICATIONS FOR HUMAN AND ECOLOGICAL HEALTH

Clockwise: Child holding a poisoned Fulvous Whistling duck carcass; the birds abdominals being eviscerated by an adult human with bear hands; carcass being washed; the roasted bird being held by the child

By Martin Odino & Paula Kahumbu WildlifeDirect

November 2012

Introduction The dangers of house hold pesticides in Kenya attained global attention when the poisoning of lions using Furadan in August 2008 appeared on a popular news program CBS 60 Minutes after the situation as exposed by WildlifeDirect, a Kenyan based conservation NGO, in April 2008 at a stakeholders workshop. The workshop was convened by WildlifeDirect and it brought key government and NGO stakeholders together. The reaction of the manufacturer of Furadan to the Television expose, a US based company called FMC, was to withdraw the product from Kenyan shelves. Though this has helped lions in Kenya somewhat, blogs on WildlifeDirect written by field conservationists across Africa, especially Kenya has continued to document the abuse of pesticides to target predators where Furadan is still available. The alarming findings are that a huge array of other species are affected including hyenas, jackals, foxes, small carnivores and vultures, fish and birds. The growing use of pesticides is also thought to be negatively impacting on Kenyas pollinators, notably bees. This report is to bring to your attention the misuse of pesticides particularly carbofuran for hunting birds in Kenyas Irrigation schemes. WildlifeDirect is a US and Kenya registered conservation organization that provides a platform for conservationists to share their stories from the front line and raise much needed funds. We raised concern about Carbofuran in particular because it is one of the most poisonous carbamate pesticides and is a broad spectrum carbamate pesticide that kills insects, mites and nematodes on contact or after ingestion. It has no smell or taste and causes paralysis of its victims making it a favourite for poachers. In other parts of Africa is also used for killing wildlife, a well as to commit murder, suicide and serious crimes by poisoning security dogs. Carbofuran is best know by the product Furadan 5G which is a granular formulation. Though this is no longer openly available on Kenyan shelves, it is being used by poachers so we suspect its use is old stock, illegal stock, and/or new stock coming across the border from Tanzania and Uganda where it is cheaply available over the counter. Carbofuran is also available in less well known products including Furadan 4F a concentrated liquid formulation used in flower farming and other products. Carbofuran is highly toxic to fish, birds, livestock and wild game if ingested. Carbofuran has been phased out in USA where it is manufactured because the Environmental Protection Agency deemed it too dangerous for users, consumers and the environment (In the 1980s after EPA estimated that more than a million birds were killed each year by the granular formulation). Carbofuran is not registered for use in Europe due to safety concerns. It is also banned in Australia. Furadan 5G was removed from Kenyan shelves in late 2009. Prior to this was available over the counter without any documentation or training on safe or proper use. Today Furadan 5G is available in Tanzania and Uganda and it slips back into Kenya. In addition a number of other pesticides are also being used to poison wildlife including the related product Carbosulfan. We have previously reported the scale of pesticide poisoning of predators, notably lions in Kenya. This brief document intends to update relevant authorities on the situation of pesticide poisoning of birds for human consumption and to emphasize the public health concern.

The Bunyala situation Surveys have been conducted in all the major Kenyan irrigation schemes by WildlifeDirect as part of the Stop Wildlife Poisoning Campaign to end the poisoning of biodiversity. We chose Bunyala because it is remote and largely marginalized from conservation and government interventions. The area has been continually monitored between early 2009 and November 2012. Human threats

Bird poisoning in Bunyala involves laying out bait laced with pesticides. Plates of these baits are placed underwater in the paddy fields for any passing birds to consume. Some key species are targeted with innovative methods like the use of decoys to catch large water birds like open billed storks by lacing large snails.

Men and their young sons conduct the killing, while their wives prepare and cook the birds and sell the meat for human consumption in local markets. Small birds like doves sell for Ksh 20/- while large birds like storks sell for up to Ksh 120/- per bird. We estimate that over 6000 birds are killed and consumed each month in the Bunyala irrigation scheme alone. We have interviewed those involved in this practice and conclude that the practice of killing and eating wild birds is well established in this community and has been going on for decades. There are known hunter families who have specific clients whom they take the products to. Bunyala residents informed us that the practice has been on-going for at least the past 30years therefore we assume that this practice cultural roots and preceded the use of pesticides which became a convenient and rapid way of killing birds. It clearly plays an important role in the local culture and economy for this rural economically depressed community.

We observed that pesticides are handled with bare hands. Baits laced with pesticides were placed into the baddy fields under water thus contaminating water sources the entire community are exposed to these pesticides because they bathe in and drink the same water. We interviewed hunters and consumers of the poisoned birds who revealed that handling the pesticides leads to short term toxic effects like dizziness, nausea and many complained about persistent joint aches especially the knees. The consumption of the poisoned birds was not seen as a threat as the community believed that cooking the birds removed the toxins. However, one hunter claimed that his wife died young and he believes that this was due to chronic exposure through handling the poisoned carcasses. Others claimed that the consumption of poisoned birds led to miscarriages. We found that this community were aware that pesticides were poisonous and even expected some negative effects but were confident that these would pass in one or two days. They were largely ignorant of the dangers from continuous long term handling of pesticides and consumption of poisoned birds. Pesticides are handled very casually and stored in open accessible places. Children were not seen as threatened by these pesticides yet at least one child has been known to have died from accidentally ingesting Furadan in recent times (Maina 2009). Though aware that this boy had ingested Furadan, the hospital in Kitale was unable to help the child due to lack of training on how to deal with poisoning incidents (apart from pumping the stomach). Local authorities informed us that there is no local capacity to respond to the risks and educate the public, enforce the pest control products law, or to monitor the situation. To lure some poachers out

of this business, we have engaged a few members of the community (Former poachers) in bird monitoring for ecotourism as an alternative to poisoning the birds.

Ecological impact

Poisoned Whistling ducks at Bunyala to be sold to human consumers The loss of 6,000 birds per month at Bunyala threatens the bird ecology and some rare species of the area and the country as well as the world as amongst the birds affected are threatened birds and migrants from Europe and other African countries. The most affected species include the African Openbill/Open-billed Stork, Abdims Stork, Fulvous Whistling Ducks, Knob-billed Duck, White-faced Whistling Duck (nearly totally wiped out), Wood Sandpipers (migrant), Green Sandpiper (migrant), Marsh Sandpiper (migrant), Ringed Plover (migrant) and Black-tailed Godwit (migrant and Near Threatened species). Seedeaters are also killed inclusive of 5 species of doves and pigeons as well as several species of western Kenyan endemic weavers such as the Yellow- backed Weaver and the Fan-tailed Widowbird (Odino 2011). Birds of prey are not spared. In October 2012, a threatened (vulnerable) and western Kenyan endemic species Beaudouins Snake Eagle was recorded on site and this an other birds of prey that attack the poisoned ones will also be affected.

Poacher with poisoned Open-billed Storks

We have documented the poisoning of birds in other major rice growing schemes notably Mwea Rice Irrigation Scheme, and Ahero Rice irrigation Scheme. Apart from water birds we believe that birds of prey are affected, as well as aquatic life and valuable insects like bees that also use water.

Actions taken to date We have held workshops, created an NGO Task Force, participated in government meetings adn engaged and involved relevant stakeholders in this issue, published and circulated reports and hosted meetings. Notably in 2009 we hosted a workshop at which the KWS, Ministry of Agriculture Prime Ministers Office, the Minister of Agriculture and Ministry of Health through a task force that brings relevant government departments and field based NGOs attended. We have participated in a multi stakeholder Task Force coordinated by the PCPB which unfortunately has stopped meeting. We organized led to a fact-finding survey on the ground in 2011 with all these agencies to Bunyala and the Pest Control Products Board produced a report on the findings. The WWF chaired a workshop funded by WildlifeDirect to discuss the findings of the fact finding mission. It is disappointing that none of the recommendations have been followed up.

RECCOMMENDATIONS 1. Revival or Creation of a new task force on pesticides, health and the environment that includes key stakeholders such as Health, wildlife, environment, pesticides, Public Health, Youth, Women, Agriculture, Veterinary, Fisheries, and Irrigation. 2. Strengthen relevant agencies, and adopt precautionary principles when on registration and distribution of pesticides. Improve enforcement of pesticide misuse. 3. Immediately send a powerful message by banning two key chemicals Carbofuran (the active ingredient in Furadan), and Dimethoate which is known to be a carcinogen. Arrest and charge violators of the Pest Products Control Act. 4. Implementation of all the recommendations of the Task Force (see above).

Summary of specific actions Communication with Pest Control Products Board (PCPB), Agrochemical Association of Kenya, Farm Machinery and Chemicals (FMC) and Prime Ministers Office In 2009 2011, we shared information on incidences of Bunyala bird poisoning majorly through email correspondence with little cooperative feedback from PCPB, AAK and FMC. Furadan had just been implicated in 2009 as largely contributory to the catastrophic killing of Kenyan lions in human-wildlife conflict retaliatory attacks (CBS 60 Minutes. 2009) and had been withdrawn by the American manufacturer and distributor, FMC. Even then, we continued finding products some with manufacturing dates post the withdrawal date (after March 2011) in certain parts of Kenya such as Kajiado, Eldoret and Bunyala for over a year after and kept reporting on them. We also updated PCPB and AAK on the continuing poisoning of birds in Bunyala but they remained silent on the issue. Nonetheless, Furadan was off the shelves of most Kenyan Agrovets and the issue of poisoning was monitored in 2009-2010 without raising public attention with the hope that the issue had been brought under control. A monitoring survey during May 2011-July 2011with details on http://stopwildlifepoisoning.wildlifedirect.org by M. Odino in Bunyala Rice irrigation Scheme found out that bird poisoning was still on-going. Anecdotal evidence pointed to Furadan 5G as the poison in used. It was however established that the physical attributes of the poisoning substances were different although the colour and the form (purple and granular) resembled those of the original Furadan 5G (Odino 2012). Informants at Bunyala disclosed that the poison was being bought in from Uganda.

P. Kahumbu approached the Prime Ministers office with the issue of on-going poisoning in Bunyala and a directive to constitute a task force and follow up on the issue of poisoning particularly for Bunyala bird poisoning was delegated to the Ministry of Agriculture. The

Ministry of Agriculture in turn appointed an official at PCPB to organize a fact-finding team to visit Bunyala Rice Irrigation Scheme. The fact-finding team was made up of representatives from Pest Control Products Board, Agrochemicals Association of Kenya, Kenya Wildlife Service, World Wildlife Fund and WildlifeDirect. Fact-finding survey on the Bunyala Bird Poisoning In August-September 2011, M. Odino provided logistical guidance to Bunyala Rice Irrigation Scheme. It was found that: poachers still used Furadan to poison birds. The name Furadan however also referred to the counterfeits that currently dominate as poisons used by poachers at the site. Sources at National Irrigation Board, Bunyala and summoned poachers at a meeting alleged that the poison being used was supplied from Uganda through representative go-betweens who are also poachers from around the rice scheme. The Open-billed Stork was identified as the most targeted and poison-poached bird (Opiyo et al. 2011).

The fact-finding survey recommended through a report by Opiyo et al. (2011) that: There should be awareness creation and training all the stakeholders in the affected areas. A series of farmer field days be organized on responsible use of pesticides in the affected areas. There is need for the confirmation of the identity of the chemical being used for of illegal poisoning the birds. A general circular from the Prime Ministers office to be sent to government departments/agencies directing them to take action on the illegal bird poisoning. Fact missions to be extended to other likely/affected areas such as Mwea, Ahero, Tsavo, Laikipia etc. Culprits of the illegal bird poisoning should be apprehended and prosecuted as a deterrent to the other poachers. Community involvement in monitoring bird poisoning There has been no action on the fact-finding missions recommendations since September 2011 and bird and human poisoning continues at Bunyala Rice Irrigation Scheme and its environs. In an attempt to control the situation, WildlifeDirect and M. Odino through small donations on the blog have recruited a team of ten scouts (3 of whom were poachers) to monitor birds during this bird migration season (August-April of every year). Since August, we supervise and pay the scouts on weekly basis to observe birds and their trends at the rice irrigation scheme (Odino 2012). The scouts presence acts to scare away poachers while the pay acts to lure the poachers to abandon poisoning and join in the monitoring and conservation of the birds while saving human livelihoods. But then again our resources cannot maintain all the poachers.

References and sources of additional information

CBS 60 Minutes. 2009. Poison takes toll on Africas lions. Report by Bob Simon aired on 29 March 2009 followed by an update on 25 July 2009. Http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/26/60minutes/main4894945.shtml EPA 2009. Carbofuran I.R.E.D . Facts Pesticide reregistration. Carbofuran. http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/reregistration/REDs/factsheets/carbofuran_ired_fs.htm Kahumbu P. 2011. Shocking Video on bird poisoning with pesticide in Kenya. http://stopwildlifepoisoning.wildlifedirect.org/2011/06/28/shocking-video-on-bird-poisoningwith-pesticide-in-kenya/ Maina S. 2009. Death by Furadan, the story of Nelson Kimutai. http://baraza.wildlifedirect.org/2009/11/30/death-by-furadan-the-story-of-nelson-kimutai/ Odino M. 2011. A chronicling of long-standing carbofuran use and its menace to wildlife in Kenya: Measuring the conservation threat that deliberate poisoning poses to birds in Kenya: The case of pesticide hunting with Furadan in the Bunyala Rice Irrigation Scheme in Carbofuran and Wildlife Poisoning: Global Perspectives and Forensic Approaches (ed N. Richards), John Wiley & Sons Ltd., Chichester, pp. [53-70] Odino M. 2012. Various reports on pesticide hunting of birds in Kenyas irrigation Schemes. Stop Wildlife Poisoning Blog on WildilfeDirect.org Http://stopwildlifepoisoning.wildlifedirect.org Opiyo P., Meyo M., Ikime T., Sikuku R., Makori J. and Odino M. 2011. Fact finding mission on illegal bird poisoning in Bunyala and environs. A report to the office of the Prime Minister.