Croat Med J 2005;46(4):695-701 NE SAND WS C OMMENTS

Environmental Ethics: Call for Closer Cooperation

To the Editor: The article on chronic di- Unlike other species, we consider our- etary poisoning by aristolochic acid associated with selves separate and more important than the rest endemic nephropathy, published in your journal, of living creatures, which is the core of today’s en- clearly illustrated how a model of human ecology is vironmental crisis. Our domination is reflected in created and how it can influence the disease etiol- attempts to remodel the globe to suit our needs. A ogy, prevention, or healing (1). Health is related to variety of diseases linked to different pest vectors complex systems of interactions between environ- or associated with weed pest (such as above men- ment and cultural behavior, which certainly neces- tioned Aristolochia clematis) have been a result of sitates closer connection and interdisciplinary work “kill or to be killed” perspectives throughout his- between environmental sciences and medicine. tory. Consequently, pest and weed pest manage- This prompted me to bring up another aspect of en- ment has become a modern war against nature uti- vironmental ecology which, I presume, could be lizing the ever increasing amounts of metals, motivating for the medical readership or could gases, and chemicals that additionally pollute the perhaps be seen as a call for closer cooperation. environment. Human activities have caused

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harmful impact on the environment in as game. Yet, the aim was not achieved. Instead of well. This has become evident recently in the case targeted animals, 17 griffon vultures and two Buz- of 17 griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) that were found zards (Buteo buteo) birds were killed. The poison dead on the Cape Sorinj, on the Northern Adriatic thus caused not only the death of a rare and legally island of , Croatia, between 16th and 21st protected bird species, but while distributed in the December, 2004 (2,3). nature illegally and without any warning, repre- sented a threat for the population. In addition, it Griffon vulture or Bjeloglavi sup in Cro- polluted the soil and consequently prolonged the atian, is a critically endangered breeding species exposure and thereby, the impact on human health. in Croatia, with only 90 to 100 pairs living today (4). The breeding colonies are present on the is- When uncovered, the affair provoked nu- lands of the Kvarner bay: Plavnik, Prviæ, , and merous public debates, (8) although it failed to point out the hazards to which human lives are ex- OMMENTS . Due to the fact that it feeds on carrion, sheep C breeding on Croatian islands represented its natu- posed in such circumstances. Not one medical ral source of food. Traditionally, birds have fed on perspective was presented to the public with re- dead sheep and other cattle, which were not bur- gard to potential consequences for human health. WS AND ied because of karst soil. At the same time, they It is worth mentioning that this case is NE cleaned the environment from a potential source not an exception and that similar cases have been of infection. Former breeding areas of this species registered in other parts of Croatia (9,10) and in included the north, central, and south Adriatic broader European context (11). On the other hand, coast. On the island of Rab, the birds dwell nowa- we lack a comprehensive investigation with a rele- days only if in search for food. Reasons behind the vant scientific analysis which could serve as a ba- narrowing of the breeding area and a decrease in sis for a targeted environmental strategy and rele- the number of griffon vulture in Croatia must be vant regulations. seen in the disappearance of cattle breeding and It is necessary to create and carry out a the poisoning of animals that was carried out le- program that would tackle the problem area with gally until the 1970s (5). an emphasis on education of the people who hunt, The analysis of 17 griffon vulture corpses breed cattle, and do farm work. Such a program found at the end of 2004, confirmed the presence must be envisaged as an anti-poisoning campaign of geocid G5 poison which contains an active sub- advocated by Eco-centre Caput insulae, an associ- stance of a chemical compound carbofuran, a com- ation that is, among other things, established for ponent found in the majority of pesticides used in the protection of griffon vultures. An anti-poison- Croatia and available over-the-counter in farming ing campaign cannot be the only form of struggle chemical outlets (3). The poison was put in the against people distributing poisons on their own. sheep meat, although the Law on the Protection of On the contrary, it can only be a part of the com- Nature (6) prohibits the use of poison or stupefying prehensive agenda to include: 1) community baits. The purpose of poisoning was directed pri- based education of inhabitants for eradicating the marily against wild boars which destroy agricul- custom of poisoning; 2) multidisciplinary collabo- tural crops and endanger sheep breeders and farm- ration, including the medical profession; 3) im- ers, as well as against stray dogs which roam proving and adjusting the legislation based on around the island. Another group of animals proved priority causes of endangerment; and 4) threatening the population are wolves and jackals. creating ethic based environmental management. The increasing number of species endangered by The program for prevention of poison intentional poisoning is growing due to islanders’ should attempt to detect the presence of poison in fear for domestic animals. In a broader context, the dead animals. It should additionally exhibit the wolf, which has also been a protected species multidisciplinary features of the problem by in- since 1995, is still the most frequent victim of poi- cluding the Ministries of Health, Nature, and Envi- soned baits (7). Other targets are fawns, foxes, and ronmental Protection, of Agriculture, Forestry, and rats which are being eliminated by organized and Water Management, hunters’ associations, non- independent distributing poison in the environ- governmental organizations dedicated to the pro- ment. Unable to solve the problem legally, the in- tection of nature and environment, and represen- habitants obviously reached for poisoning of the tatives of biological, ecological, medical, and che-

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mical professions. Clearly, we have come to the 4 Radovic D, Kralj J, Tutis V, Cikovic D. Red data book of birds of Croatia. Zagreb: Ministry of Environmental Pro- point where survival driven need to control nature tection and Physical Planning; 2003. has faced us with a bunch of serious problems. Biol- 5 Frkovic A. Wolf in Croatia with special overview to ogy, environment, and medicine have thus created Gorski kotar and [in Croatian]. a circle of problems as much as of solutions. Maybe (Croatia): Primorsko-goranska upanija; 2004. 6 Law on the protection of nature [in Croatian]. Narodne it is time to re-think our relations, or at least to Novine. 2005;70: article 95. strengthen them. 7 Strbenac A, Huber D, Kusak J, Majic A, Frkovic A, Stahan Z, et al. Management plan for wolves in Croatia. Jasmina Muiniæ Zagreb: State Institute for the Protection of Nature. In press 2005. NE [email protected] 8 Scientific council for nature protection and scientific AND WS Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts council for nature history research February 1, 2004. Institute for Ornithology (Report). Zagreb: Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts; 2004.

Gunduliæeva 24, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia C

9 Frkovic A. Endangered birds of prey of Gorski kotar [in OMMENTS Croatian]. Priroda. 1973;624:117. 10 Getz D. Should “harmful” animals be poisoned [in Cro- 1 Hranjec T, Kovaè A, Kos J, Mao W, Chen JJ, Grollman AP, atian]? Croatian forests. 2005;9:36-8. Jelakoviæ B. Endemic nephropathy: the case for chronic 11 Artes SJ, Hernandez M. The illegal use of poison in the poisoning by aristolochia. Croat Med J. 2005;46:116-25. Northern Mediterranean countries. 6th World Confe- 2 Grubišiæ H. Rab: 10 griffon vultures were killed [in Cro- rence on Birds of Prey and Owls, Budapest, Hungary, atian]. Jutarnji list. 2004 December 18;5. May 18-23, 2003. Available at: http://www.raptors-in 3 Eco-Center Caput Insulae – Beli. Available at: http:// ternational.de/LAST_CONFERENCE/Abstracts/Populat www.caput-insulae.com/index_eng.html. Accessed: Jan- ion_Limitation/hauptteil_population_limitation.html. uary 3, 2005. Accessed: July 22, 2005.

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