The World Wildlife Fund is anxious to stress that is not the factory for the recent departure of the flamingoes Nakuru; the copper effluent has not had time to exert its effect the algae. Lake Nakuru is clearly just one of several temporary homes used the birds. Within the past few weeks, however, the flamingoes have begun to return to the lake large numbers, and they are currently estimated around 250,000. If the algae in the lake die the flamingoes, and the of the birds, will depart for and, of going through cycles of biological abundance and paucity, the lake will remain impoverished. Destruction of the lake could possibly be justified if the commercial venture to be of great importance to Kenya. But the economics of Copal's oxychloride operations little sense. The company claims that 85 per cent of its output is destined for export. , then, locate the factory 400 miles from the coast that both raw materials and finished products will be making costly journeys? The benefits of the Copal venture are to envisage, and they vanish into insignificance when balanced against the harm that will be inevitably inflicted Lake Nakuru. is still time to prevent the damage becoming irreparable, but it is fast out.