poisoning of raptors with organophosphorus and carbamate ...

6 MINEAU ET AL. VOL. 33, No. 1
Table 1. Yearly tally of U.S., U.K. and Canadian raptor mortality incidents involving pesticides from 1985-95.
U.S. U.K. CANADA
No. MINIMUM NO. MINIMUM NO. MINIMUM
YEAR INCIDENTS NO. BIRDS INCIDENTS NO. BIRDS INCIDENTS NO. BIRDS
1985 13 20 10 13 -- --
1986 21 32 16 19 -- --
1987 23 47 3 3 -- --
1988 33 74 4 5 -- --
1989 26 93 16 23 -- --
1990 23 46 1 1 9 13
1991 29 168 6 11 2 2
1992 33 85 8 10 11 27
1993 24 88 11 15 8 37
1994 31 82 13 14 17 18
1995 N/A N/A 14 21 16 25
Total 255 734 102 136 63 122
edged and is of conservation concern (Brown et
al. 1977, Cadbury 1980, Elliott and Avery 1991). In
addition to birds of prey, corvids and several wild
and domestic mammal species are also targeted by
applications and raptors killed inadvertently. These
kills are usually related to gamebird rearing, lamb
production and attempts to protect racing pigeons.
In the U.K., yearly proportions of incidents ascribed
to deliberate abuse of pesticides relative to
the total number of incidents reported involving
agricultural pesticides with all bird and mammal
species ranged from 65-82% (median = 71%) of
64-127 incidents per year (Greig-Smith 1988). The
proportion of abuses against raptors over the
1985-94 period was 87% (Table 3). There was
probably a slight overrepresentation of abuse cases
because only incidents with certainty indices of 1
and 2 were tabulated. Often, the diagnosis of abuse
was made on the basis that there was no longer an
approved registration for the given pesticide and it
did not always result from an intent to kill raptors
or other vertebrates. For example, fenthion does
not have an approved use as a treatment for ectoparasites
in sheep although it was approved for the
140
120
[3U.S.
6O
IU.K.
[]Canada
4O
2O
0
I 2
3 4
Certainty index
Figure 1. Certainty index for incidents tabulated in this review. 1---identified residues in tissues, gut contents or
bait material and ChE evidence. 2--identified residues and circumstances clearly indicative of poisoning. 3--ChE
evidence and circumstances clearly indicative of poisoning. 4--ChE evidence. 5--circumstances clearly indicative of
poisoning.