Identifying the Drivers of Intentional Wild Bird Poisoning and Providing Sustainable Alternatives to Wild Bird Poaching and Consumption

Martin Odino


Other projects

18 Feb 2009

Measuring the Conservation Threat to Birds in Kenya Resulting from Pesticide Poisoning

24 Jan 2014

Modelling Community-Based Sustainable Bird Monitoring and Avitourism as a Conservation Tool against Bird Poaching at Bunyala Rice Scheme, Western Kenya

6 Jul 2015

Community-Based Commercial Fowl Farming For Inexpensive, Nutritious Alternatives to Poisoned Birds and Enhanced Anti-Poisoning Activities in Bunyala, Kenya

The specific aims of this project include interviewing poachers seeking to better understand the driving factors behind the decision to poach wild birds. Additionally, we will present current poachers with the opportunity to join the community poultry farming venture, in exchange for their agreement to cease wild bird poaching.

Rescuing a  live decoy used to lure others to poison bait.

Rescuing a live decoy used to lure others to poison bait.

Bird poisoning poachers at Bunyala, poison with a vengeance preventing overtaking of the wild bird meat market by other established anti-poisoning schemes. We intend to recruit at least 10 additional poachers-turned-poultry farmers who will help to further reduce bird poisoning, increase supply and success of poultry sales locally, ultimately creating a more competitive market in comparison with bushmeat sales. These will be involved in strategic activities to assimilate them in a poultry farming scheme following the same model as an earlier established poultry farming venture managed by local women.

These will include dialogues and interviews between the poachers and the PI that will provide information that will help us to better understand the poachers and their poisoning activities so that we know how to additionally help them during this project and in future. It is anticipated that these talks will form a better relationship between poachers and the project with its various factions including scouts and the PI thereby persuading poachers to be harmoniously engaged in a poultry scheme that will be set up for them. Further, the poachers will be educated about the dire consequences of poisoning and trained on poisoning response protocol to prevent the dire effects of poisoning in the environment.

The outcomes of this project will include various publications to illustrate the bird poison-hunting problem, a proliferating and self-sustaining poultry venture, curtailed supply of poisoned bird meat and thriving birdlife, human and general environmental health.

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