If you’ve read some of our previous blogs about animal stories, you already know that Philip and I consider witnessing the most incredible animals on Earth simply living their daily lives in their natural habitat as wonderful benefit of living in Kenya. We hold animal conservation in high regard, in addition to conservation of other natural resources.

Perhaps you may have seen a recent episode of CBS’s 60 Minutes , reporting the death of some 75 lions that had been linked to Furadan poisoning in the Masai Mara.  You may also have heard an interview with Richard Leakey, Kenyan politician, paleoanthropologist and conservationist. And yes, he is the older brother of Philip.

It’s an age-old man vs animal dilemma.   Furadan, a highly potent pesticide, has been used in recent years by traditional cattle herders as a means to protect their livestock, under threat from predators such as lions and hyenas. It is sprinkled over animal carcasses and left as traps for the big cats. Kenya’s lion population is a fifth of what it was in the 1970s, and across Africa, the numbers are down to 30,000 from highs of 200,000.

According to Richard, chairman of WildlifeDirect, Furudan also “threatens a variety of other species including numerous birds and fish species that are killed with Furadan for human consumption. This practice poses a serious human health threat since the pesticide’s active ingredients, carbofurans, are dangerous to humans.  Ingestion of tiny amounts of these compounds can cause paralysis and even death.”

After the airing of the 60 Minutes episode, FMC Corporation announced the withdrawal of Furadan from Kenya and their commitment to buy back the entire remaining product in Kenya.

We applaud the efforts of Richard and other animal conservationists in their ongoing quest to save our animal population.