Yesterday FMC, the Philadelphia based pesticide manufacturers who produce a product called Furadan, identifiable by its blue granules, banned in the USA and Europe managed to kill 5 lions and a striped hyena in the most sensitive lion area in Kenya. For many months conservationists have been appealing to their better judgement and ethical attitude towards the environment and its wildlife.
We asked them to remove this poison from lion range states but clearly that is not working. There are fewer than 200 Maasai lions left. Today we can scratch 5 more off that roster.
We are mobilizing every effort and force we have to collect as much poison as we can. National Geographic Big Cats initiative is hoping to pay Maasai for any cattle loss and to educate communities to the benefits of lions. Having FMC dig in their heels and not help nearly enough is making our job ten times harder and I fear that in this race against time, we may lose.
I love Africa and all it’s wildlife. It’s extremely sad to see what is happening to the African lion due to the misuse of this deadly poison. Like DDT it needs to be banned and never manufactured and sold on the open market-worldwide!
If you go to my website @ http://www.dickberryphotography.com/2009/03/05/vidcast/ I wrote a short article about what Furadan is doing to Africa’s lions. At the bottom of the article is a link that will take you to a petition to sign to help stop the sale and distribution of Furadan in Kenya.Petition to sign and submit to end the sale and distribution of Furadan in Africa.
Please read the article, go to Defenders of Wildlife website and personally sign the petition and where you are from, and send it off.
This really has to stop because what most people don’t realize is that if this poisoning keeps up, lions will be gone from Africa within the next 20 years or sooner!
if you have any questions you can contact me personally through my website.
Thank you!