Handling poisons responsibly

A BOOKLET which could help provide Namibians with a basic understanding of pesticides and their effects on wildlife has been published.

Entitled ‘Poisons & Pesticides – A Guide to Safe Use’, the booklet covers much of the subject material of five workshops that were organised in response to the poor attitudes and knowledge displayed by sales personnel of agricultural pesticides The workshops were held in September last year, a time of the year when an increase in complains of predators on farmlands is often noted, says Liz Komen of the Namibia Animal Rehabilitation Research and Education Centre (Narrec). The booklet explains the chemical classes of pesticides on the market and describes the meaning of the signs and symbols on pesticide packages.It also lists the symptoms of mild, moderate and severe poisoning and provides a guide to basic first aid.A thousand copies have been printed.The workshops and the publication were made possible by the support of the Namibia Nature Foundation-Sida micro-grant project, the Vulture Study Group of Namibia, Narrec, Agra Co-operative, the Namibia Bird Club and Raptors Namibia.Copies of the booklet can be obtained from Liz Komen or Simon Witbeen at Narrec.Komen’s e-mail address is liz@narrec.schoolnet.na.She can be phoned at (061) 26 4409 or 26 4256, or 081 129 0565.The booklet explains the chemical classes of pesticides on the market and describes the meaning of the signs and symbols on pesticide packages.It also lists the symptoms of mild, moderate and severe poisoning and provides a guide to basic first aid.A thousand copies have been printed.The workshops and the publication were made possible by the support of the Namibia Nature Foundation-Sida micro-grant project, the Vulture Study Group of Namibia, Narrec, Agra Co-operative, the Namibia Bird Club and Raptors Namibia.Copies of the booklet can be obtained from Liz Komen or Simon Witbeen at Narrec.Komen’s e-mail address is liz@narrec.schoolnet.na.She can be phoned at (061) 26 4409 or 26 4256, or 081 129 0565.