Māori folklore tells of the legendary Polynesian navigator Kupe being accompanied on voyages to Aotearoa New Zealand by the now extinct dog species known as the kurī.

And just like other communities around the world, the relationship with man’s best friend has stood the test of time, as domesticated canines took their place in human communities and became their companions for hundreds of years.

Early last month the University of Auckland announced that the “close relationship between humans and dogs” in island Polynesia and Aotearoa New Zealand is the focus of new research that will be undertaken. The trials and tribulations of the now extinct kurī will be a centrepiece of the research.

Who knows the exploits of the legendary Polynesian navigator Kupe across the Pacific might lead the researchers to Samoa’s shores? There might be a link due to our large canine population on-island, who’ve made headlines over the years for becoming a public menace and an eyesore to tourists.

But for all their troubles, we cannot downplay the friendship and bond between dogs and their owners, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic with stress, depression and anxiety at an all time high. Having a dog can help one to mentally cope with the stress brought on by the pandemic.

So it is a worry that this newspaper has in recent weeks published stories of dogs falling victim to the weed killer paraquat. The previous Sunday a couple at Siusega, Lucky Seumanu and his wife Bec Hanify Seumanu, became the latest residents to lose two dogs to paraquat poisoning (Heartbroken dog owners mourn their loss, call for action). 

"My husband found a umu baked taro in our yard last Friday morning, he wondered where it had come from and then discarded it, not thinking anything of it," Mrs. Seumanu said. "Our smallest dog Sami, wouldn’t eat that afternoon and Tubby just ate a little. 

"Very early on Sunday morning Lucky could hear Sami gasping for breath and throwing up.

“He got up and found her under the house. Tubby wasn’t as bad, but not his usual self. 

"He then rang the vet and took both dogs up to see Dr. Harriet [Animal Protection Society] by this stage it was too late to save them."

Two weeks ago during the Easter weekend a family at Taumeasina also lost two dogs to paraquat poisoning (APS revives call for ban on weed caller), with local resident Arian Stevenson emphasising that the weed killer is banned in other countries and the type sold in Samoa is “tasteless” and “so effective in killing animals”.

Last month the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries C.E.O. Tilafono David Hunter said the Ministry’s Pesticide Technical Committee is currently reviewing the regulation on paraquat use which will conclude at the end of 2022.

Does anyone want to give an estimate of how many family-owned dogs would have been poisoned and probably died by the time the Ministry concludes its review?

This is not a hypothetical question by the way. It needs to be asked in order for our bureaucrats to become aware of the implications of their Ministry’s regulatory systems and processes.

In August 2020 this newspaper did a survey of farm supply stores in Apia, to check on their compliance with M.A.F. regulations (Deadly paraquat purchases illegal), with the Samoa Observer coming across instances of farmers not being asked to show their permits prior to their purchase of paraquat.

The dog poisoning cases over the last 3 weeks confirms that the weed killer is either getting into the hands of those who are not authorised to use it; or is being used illegally by authorised users for other purposes or both.

Paraquat is a toxic chemical widely used as an herbicide, primarily for weed and grass control. While it is banned in at least 32 countries, it is widely used in Samoa.

Is the weed killer dangerous when exposed to human beings? America’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.) says small to medium amounts of paraquat can lead to heart failure, kidney failure, liver failure or lung scarring in several days or weeks. Ingestion of large amounts can take hours or a few days to lead to coma or even death.

Therefore there is good reason for the review into paraquat use in Samoa by the Pesticide Technical Committee of the M.A.F. to be undertaken with urgency.