Judith Rodriguez Salas, MSFS; Meaghan Drumm, MSFS; Stephen Donovan, PhD; Alana Balogh, BFA; Amanda Mohr, MSFS; and Barry Logan, PhD
Project Summary
This project addresses the widespread and often indiscriminate use of pesticides across the African continent for crop protection, livestock safety, and illegal poaching. While these chemicals are used intentionally to kill pests and wildlife, they frequently lead to secondary poisonings of non-target species such as scavengers. The study focused on developing a low-resource, field-friendly extraction method for detecting pesticide residues in biological and environmental samples (e.g., animal tissue, fruit) from suspected poisoning events. Samples were extracted using acetone into paper towels—easily sourced materials in remote regions—and then analyzed in the U.S. using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).
The method was successfully validated and applied to 105 samples collected over four years from nature reserves in Botswana and Zimbabwe. Of these, 24 tested positive for pesticides in 12 separate poisoning incidents affecting various wildlife species, including elephants, vultures, hippos, and eagles. Notably, one elephant poisoning led to the secondary death of over 100 vultures. The study demonstrated that pesticide residues could be effectively recovered and identified from field-collected samples using simple extraction methods. The findings highlight the far-reaching impacts of pesticide misuse on ecosystems and underscore the importance of ongoing monitoring and forensic investigation to support conservation and legal enforcement efforts.
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