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Kenya: King of the Jungle Faces Poison Plot
Nairobi - THEY MAY BE THE KINGS OF the jungle but now, conservationists say, lions in some of Kenya's most scenic parks are reduced to fighting for their lives.

The situation is especially dire in the Amboseli National Park, where the cats could disappear in a few years.

Also at risk are the lions in the world famous Mara Triangle, where four lions were two months ago found to have been poisoned with the chemical Carbofuran.

"The situation has reached a critical level," said Terry Garcia, executive vice president at the National Geographic Society. "Unless something is done immediately, there will be no more lions in this part of Kenya, which would be a tragedy."

According to the society, less than 100 lions now remain in the 2,200-square-mile Amboseli, located at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro on the Kenya-Tanzania border. The lions are some of the key attractions at the expansive park.

By far the most significant threat for the lions comes from conflict with pastoralists, who regard the animals as a threat to their livestock.

In two group ranches owned by the Maasai, for example, a total of 63 lions were killed between 2003 and 2007 after they strayed too close to domestic animals.

Conservationists say that establishing compensation schemes for livestock killed by the cats can reduce community anger, leading to fewer killings. On Mbitrikani ranch - which borders the two ranches where the 63 lions were killed but where a compensation programme was established in 2003, for example - only four lions were killed over the same period.

Conservationists say that establishing similar compensation schemes with funds obtained partly from visitor fees is the way forward.

Additional funding could, however, be sourced from donors to buffer against shortfalls. The National Geographic Society has established such a fund for the Amboseli lions.

In the Mara Triangle, the situation for lions worsened particularly when post-election violence led to a fall in tourist numbers, leading to a shortfall in revenue of more than $50,000 per month for the Mara Conservancy.

THE CONSERVANCY managesages an area of more than 500 square kilometres, and has been compensating local herdsmen whose livestock are killed by lions.

Since the conservancy was created in 2001 and the compensation scheme established, the number of lions in the reserve has doubled to 80.

"We have now had several close calls, with local people hunting lions and leopards in revenge for the cattle that have been killed by these predators," William Deed of the conservancy told the BBC recently.

"Previously, the cattle compensation scheme we had in place would help calm such situations, but with no funding to pay for such a scheme, the local communities are no longer seeing the benefits of living so closely to the wildlife."

According to Mr Deed, funding shortfalls as a result of lower tourist numbers have also led to a reduction in the number of patrols by rangers.

A worrying development in the unfolding saga of human-lion conflict, conservationists say, is the use of agricultural poisons to kill the cats, as opposed to the traditional methods of snaring and spearing. Poisoning is more devastating because it can decimate entire prides.

In April, conservationists led by Dr Richard Leakey called for the banning of one such chemical, known as Carbofuran, after it was blamed for the death of five hippos and the subsequent paralysis of four lions.

The lions are thought to have become paralysed after they fed on the hippo carcasses.

"We believe there are significant human health concerns and environmental risks associated with using this chemical, which is widely abused because it is easily available over the counter," Dr Leakey said in a statement.

Carbofuran first gained prominence a decade ago, when conservationists blamed it for mass bird deaths in Kenya. The chemical is already illegal in Europe and is expected to be banned in other countries soon.

Exposure to the chemical interferes with the nervous system, causing blurred vision, confusion and general muscular weakness; at very high exposures, it results in cardio-respiratory paralysis and death.

Carbofuran is usually used to protect crops such as maize and potatoes against insects.

The insecticide, which is manufactured locally by AgroEvo East Africa Ltd and goes under the brand name Furadan, is sprayed directly onto soil and plants.

Significantly, concern over the use of such poisons as Carbofuran extends beyond lions to other predators and also scavenger birds such as vultures.

"If the current level of usage continues, it is possible that two different species of vultures in Kenya could become extinct within the next 10 years," said one conservationist.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200806300455.html
 

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