Saturday November 7, 2009, 5:10 pm
Dear friends,

We can confirm the tragic reports of a human death due to carbofuran poisoning. Just today we spoke on phone with the heartbroken father of a child who died of Furadan poisoning. The report of this death first appeared on Kenya’s The Standard newspaper on Friday, 30 October 2009 saying that on Monday, 26 October 2009, the child had mistakenly ingested Furadan and died.

The child’s father informed us that the child died on arrival at the Cherangani Nursing Home in Trans Nzoia East District in western Kenya. The father had bought the pesticide four months ago for use in killing insects in the soil when preparing his vegetable nursery. He says that he was not aware how dangerous the product is and was not informed by the retailer about the first aid approach in case of pesticide ingestion. He gave his child milk and crushed eggs - a method of dealing with poisoning widely used in Africa - instead of water as the label says.

This tragedy could have been avoided - the father, an educated man (he is a teacher at a local primary school) did not get the impression that this pesticide was deadly. The packaging in kenya does not carry teh universal symbol of death - the skull and crossbones.

Please join us in sending our sincere condolences to the parents of 3 year old Kimutai, and pray that he rests in peace.

We hope that Kimutai did not die in vain and that the Kenyan government takes appropriate action by baning carbofuran in Kenya immediately.


Big Gorilly Hugs

Saturday November 7, 2009, 5:38 pm
This is so sad. I also, offer my sympathies to this family at their great loss of this little child. Why isn't the packing material indicated with the skull and crossbones? If the dad would have seen it on the box, this tragedy could have been averted. ;-(

Saturday November 7, 2009, 5:40 pm
Because the Kenyan government plays it off as its not...With urks the poo out of me...This is why I keep pushing so hard on this subject...IT IS DEADLY..not only to the wildlife but to humans...

Big gorilly hugs

Monday November 9, 2009, 3:50 pm
Hello anybody home on this one...LOL

Tuesday November 10, 2009, 6:47 pm
Yes, the headline says it all and we must get this stopped. It all comes back on us. No matter who we are or where we go, the laws of physics apply. Sigh.

Tuesday November 10, 2009, 7:18 pm
This is terrible. They need to do something immediately!
Thanks Gorilly

Tuesday November 10, 2009, 8:23 pm
Thannxxxx Gorilly Girl... it is something that the kenyan government will have to take more seriously if they are to stop this... they need to move out of a state of apathy to realise the consequences of this, and move into using different methods, and updated technologies

Wednesday November 11, 2009, 12:29 am
the government of kenya needs a kick up the backside why arent they protecting their people and the wildlife?

Wednesday November 11, 2009, 2:39 am
Sorry, I'm not going to place 100% of the blame on the retailer. This should have been a shared responsibility. The chemical company who made this and didn't label it as a deadly product gets the loin's share of the blame, but the retailer and the parents of this girl get the rest. Like Heeeelllllllllllooooooo, insecticides, even if they are organic are not something you leave where children can get them. The chemical company's motives were purely greed, but the retailer and the father were just too apathetic and careless.

Wednesday November 11, 2009, 3:19 am
No poison should be given to mother earth. It kills everything around her too.

Wednesday November 11, 2009, 3:40 am
Im in the process of trying to get our voices heard over there...not sure if a petition will work, but Im just not going to sit here and do nothing...have contacted someone to see just what exactly I can do...When I find out you will be the first ones to know what we are going to do.

BigGorilly Hugs

Wednesday November 11, 2009, 4:52 am
So tragic. Sadly noted. Thanks Gorilly Girl.

Wednesday November 11, 2009, 11:34 am
I agree with you that the headline says it all...

Wednesday November 11, 2009, 1:29 pm
My condolences to the family of Kimutai, a tragic death.

Karen, I don't agree, it is the company's responsibility to ensure that any and all chemicals must be correctly labelled. That is a legal requirement in the UK and should be in all countries.

As we can see how dangerous these pesticides are, they should not be genrally available and the pain and suffering that animals must go through is now obvious. What a shame that this poor little girl died to show people this.