The following piece by Hans Peeters is from the yahoo group raptor-conservation via the Tanzaniabirdatlas webmaster Stein Nilsen
The Continued Poisoning of Raptors in Kenya (and Tanzania)
The CBS television weekly program "60 Minutes" last night (March 29, 2009) ran a segment on the deliberate poisoning of large mammalian carnivores in Kenya, such as lions and hyenas, with coincidental mass poisoning of various vulture and eagle species.
There was footage of the appalling death throes of a poisoned young male lion, and shots of a truck bed filled with vulture corpses. The poison, Furadan (also known as carbofuran) has been long known in the United States to be responsible for the deaths of thousands of songbirds, ducks and other birds, and is available at every little village shop in Kenya at US$2.00 a bottle. It is intended for insect (and perhaps nematode) control in agricultural areas but is sold in other parts of the country as well. Upon being presented with the evidence of intentional wildlife poisoning, the American manufacturer, MFC Corporation, agreed to suspend sales in Kenya but continues to sell the toxin to neighboring countries. Plenty remains on Kenyan store shelves.
Furadan is apparently responsible for the disappearance of vultures and other avian scavengers from large parts of West Africa. The Kenyan lion population has been severely reduced, and there are predictions by knowledgeable people that the African lion will become extinct within the lifetime of many of us. A similar fate awaits the large raptors.
I urge all my colleagues, and especially those residing in European countries (where African wildlife is particularly popular) to obtain a recording of this program from CBS and then convince their local television companies to air it. The situation is desperate, and we must all pitch in. Mere wringing of hands will not suffice.
Hans Peeters
