Locust poo poisons livestock, say Turkana pastoralists

 The droppings of desert locusts are toxic and animals die when eating contaminated vegetation, some Turkana pastoralists say.

The locusts not only eat their animals’ food but also poison the animals themselves, they claim.

Turkana is one of worst areas of locust infestation. Others are Marsabit, Isiolo and Samburu. The infestation has been contained in 28 other counties, Agriculture CS Peter Munya has said.

It was not immediately possible to confirm whether droppings could be poisonous if the locusts previously fed on toxic plants, such as datura, which attracts swarms with its odour. Livestock avoid eating datura. A key entomologist says locusts die if they eat anything toxic.

Jame Itao of Loima said he has lost at least 20 goats that ate vegetation covered with locust droppings. “That is what caused the goats to die,” he claimed.

Senior chief in Loima subcounty Mark Amajong said at least 100 pastoralists say they have lost animals that ate toxic droppings of locusts. He urged the government to speed up intervention.

Turkana chief officer for Agriculture Jacob Lolelia said, however he could not confirm the locust-droppings death theory.

“We have heard allegations that droppings of desert locusts are harmful when left on shrubs that animals feed on. We will take a veterinary perspective to come up with answers,” Lolelia told the Star on the phone.

He said disease control officers and disease reporters in all regions are contacting communities to establish the situation.

“We will carry out an environmental impact assessment and study how animals have been affected by feeding on pastures possibly contaminated by droppings, so we can find out the truth,” Lolelia said.

He said it’s necessary to look at the pesticides used to kill locusts. He said ingesting the combination of chemicals and dead locusts might be harmful to animals but a study was needed.

Dr Muo Kasina, chairman of the Kenya Association of Entomologists, says locusts die if they eat anything toxic. He told the Star animals can only be affected if they eat vegetation sprayed with pesticide within seven days. Aerial spraying kills swarms but ground spraying could be problematic if animals graze too soon.

Other reports say swarms of locusts are attracted to the odour of hyoscyamine, a toxic alkaloid in plants, such as datura, which grows in Africa. It was not known what effect this would have on droppings and animals that consume them.

Pastoralist Etabo Ekidor in Loima subcounty said if the government and other authorities do not kill the locusts then pastoralists’ livelihoods will be ruined.

“Locusts are everywhere ravaging shrubs that our animals feed on and if this continues, we will have nothing to feed our livestock,” he said.

Pastoralist Dinah Awalan in Kaeris said the locusts are moving fast. Soon they will deplete all vegetation that sprouted during the heavy rains, she said.

The government and the FAO have intensified efforts to kill the insects following the citing of new swarms.

Munya said the government has issued six vehicles and deployed 200 National Youth Service officers to increase ground spraying of locust hatchlings that have been spotted at 100 sites in Turkana.

“We have gradually contained the locust infestation in 28 counties and are mitigating the infestation in the remaining four - Turkana, Samburu, Isiolo and Marsabit,” Munya said in Turkana.

He said the experts say complete elimination of the locusts is not possible because they exist in neighbouring countries and cover a vast area.

FAO representative to Kenya Tobias Takavarasha said increased hatching has been reported around the country.

He spoke in Lodwar while flagging off spraying and six surveillance vehicles, three pickups mounted with sprayers, one helicopter, two aeroplanes with sprayers and one fixed-wing aircraft for Kenya-Uganda border surveillance.

He said Turkana South was the worst hit, followed by Turkana West, Turkana Central and Loima subcounties.

 (Edited by V. Graham)