The misuse of Furadan (Carbofuran) pesticide for poaching wildlife is believed to be a major threat to the wild fauna of Uttarakhand.
However, chief wildlife warden SS Sharma says that at present, this is just a suspicion as no concrete evidence of its use for poaching has been found yet. Interestingly, this threat was recently revealed following a study by chief conservator of forests, Kumaon circle, Param Jit Singh, lucknow zoo deputy director Dr Utkarsh Shukla and Endangered Flora and Fauna on Earth Conservation Team (EFFECT) chairman Dr Abhishek Singh. There is ample information on the internet about the misuse of this pesticide for poaching in Africa, America and other places, while its use has also been ‘revealed’ in recent cases of big cat poaching in Uttarakhand, but the chief wildlife warden doesn’t consider it to be a serious threat yet.
Following the suspicious deaths of three tigers earlier this year in the Corbett tiger landscape, the study revealed that Carbofuran was being used by poachers to kill not only big cats, but also birds. Recently, two persons were arrested with two leopard pelts in Uttarkashi district. One of the arrested men confessed that while one of the leopards had been shot, the other had been poisoned with a pesticide believed to be Furadan. Wildlife activists and department officers have been expressing concern about the easy availability of this pesticide and the lack of monitoring of its sale in areas near protected forests.
However, talking to The Pioneer, the chief wildlife warden SS Sharma said that he had been hearing reports about this pesticide, but that was all. “So far I have not seen any concrete evidence of Furadan being used for poaching. It is just a suspicion at present,” he said while responding to a question about any alert issued or action taken by the department to tackle the threat posed to wildlife by the misuse of this pesticide.
The internet is replete with reports of this pesticide being used to kill livestock/human predators like lions, wild dogs, raptors and even crocodiles, as well as for dealing with intrusion such as migratory wildebeests on domestic livestock pasture throughout Eastern and Southern Africa. It is also known to have been used illegally in the United States for killing predators like coyotes. Its use has been seen particularly in areas experiencing human-wildlife conflict which is also a major issue in Uttarakhand. Cattle or other domesticated animals killed by big cats are often poisoned by the animal owners.