There are now numerous theories on the recent spate of poaching in the immediate area, a lot of them relating to the fact that the deaths have seemingly been almost instant, judging by the way the carcasses have been found to be lying on their chests. A theory now is that poachers have moved to follow the incidents in Zimbabwe by using poisons of an artificial nature. We do not currently have the means to test for individual toxins but are investigating sending samples to the University of Nairobi department of Public Health Pharmacology and Toxicology for analysis. We cannot fight what we dont know, so this is the most logical step to pursue. The toxins in question can kill a fully grown elephant in less than 20 minutes. Furadan is a trade name for Carbofuran which is a pesticide classified as an insecticide and nematocide. Carbofuran is highly toxic by inhalation and ingestion and moderately toxic by dermal absorption. Also Aldicarb which is classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as among the most highly-restricted chemicals in the world. There have been arrests made in the past in Kenya for poisoning elephants by means of pumpkins injected with the toxin. This is in contrast to using a typical poison made from acocanthera shrubs, which are common in Kenya.
Posted on: Thu, 22 May 2014 11:31:07 +0000
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