Western Cape fires expose birds to insecticides

An expert on water ecosystems on holiday in the area has asked Garden Route gardeners to refrain from using insecticides, if not indefinitely, then at least until the fynbos and natural habitat of birds and other small creatures in the Outeniqua Mountain have returned to normal, George Herald reports.

Jackie Dabrowski found a sick sugar bird in a garden in George, but the bird could not be saved. The vet told Dabrowski that it most likely died after ingesting an insecticide.

“It is a horrible death as the bird is paralysed by the poison and basically starves to death. More birds will most likely be dependent on food and water from gardens in the area and pesticides and insecticides could prove fatal. I only use organic and natural alternatives in the garden.”

She asks that her plea not fall on deaf ears as birds have also been adversely affected by the fires and need all the help they can get to survive.