Carbofuran, sold as Furadan, is a pesticide originally developed in the US to control insects on several varieties of field crops. Unfortunately, the pesticide is no ordinary product: it also happens to be an extremely powerful neurotoxin! It paralyzes anything that eats it, from the tiniest of insects to a 6 ton elephant!

While Furadan has been banned in Europe and the US (in its granular form), the pesticide is still being extensively used in Asia, Australia and South America. It is responsible for the deaths of ridiculous numbers of animals, and is wiping out Africa’s wildlife at an alarming rate! In Kenya for instance, lion numbers are dwindling as cattle herders and farmers poison them to protect their animal stock.

Fifty years ago, there used to be over 30,000 lions in Kenya alone. However, As Dr. Paula Kahumbu rightfully claims, today’s population is gone down to around 2000 individuals, and the country’s big cats could soon become completely extinct in as little as 20 years time. That’s a frightening rate of 100 casualties a year!

The following videos illustrate this appalling situation!

What should we do about it? Any ideas? Comments and feedback welcome!

The Lethal Power of Furadan: Kenya Case-Study!

Broadcaster: CBS

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Kenya’s Lions Poisoned!

Broadcaster:WildlifeDirect

The Vulture Carnage!

Broadcaster: pgpk01