By V. E. K. Madhushani, Jadetimes News
Controversial Method Aims to Address Ecological Imbalance and Public Health Concerns
The phrase "invasive alien birds" may sound like the tagline of a Hollywood thriller, but for the residents of coastal Kenya, it represents a very real issue. The authorities in Kenya are so troubled by the nuisance created by Indian house crows that they have launched a campaign to cull one million of these birds.
Unlike the human targets in Alfred Hitchcock's horror film "The Birds," these crows have been causing widespread disruption for decades. They prey on wildlife, raid tourist areas, and attack poultry farms. Now, the authorities are using poison in the towns of Watamu and Malindi to eliminate the first wave of this relentless sub species.
This ambitious poisoning campaign aims to stop the crows' advance towards Nairobi. Known locally as "kunguru" or "kurabu," these birds originated from India and other parts of Asia, often spreading via trading ships. They were intentionally introduced in East Africa around the 1890s to address a waste problem in the Zanzibar archipelago, then a British protectorate. From Zanzibar, they spread to mainland Kenya and up the coast. The first recorded sighting in the port of Mombasa was in 1947, and their numbers have since exploded, aided by the increasing human population and accompanying waste, which provides an ideal environment for the birds to feed and breed. Notably, they have no natural predators.
The Indian house crows are considered one of the world's most invasive and destructive bird species. "They prey on indigenous species, not just birds but also mammals and reptiles, causing a devastating impact on biodiversity," explained Jaap Gijsbertsen, a Dutch bird expert visiting Kenya's Watamu area. Conservationists note that the crows have significantly reduced the population of small indigenous birds, such as weavers and waxbills, by destroying their nests and targeting eggs and chicks.
"When the population of local birds declines, the environment suffers. Harmful pests and insects that the birds prey on can increase," said Lennox Kirao, a research scientist with the conservation group A Rocha Kenya. Residents have described the birds' behavior as wildly aggressive, with one resident, Eunice Katana, noting, "They pounce on chicks and eat them like madmen. These are not normal birds."
The crows have defaced buildings in Mombasa with their droppings, prompting many people to avoid sitting under tree shades. "These crows rise early and interrupt our sleep with their annoying squeals and cawing," Mombasa resident Victor Kimuli shared.
Given these issues, authorities felt compelled to act, aiming to halve the Indian house crow population through poisoning, which began on Tuesday. The process follows months of consultations with environmental experts, conservationists, community leaders, and representatives from the hotel industry. "We are trying to get their population down to a controllable number," said Kirao.
The culling process involves months of pre baiting, where birds are enticed with meat to gather at specific locations near their roost sites. "We then poison them after gathering the highest number at the baiting sites," explained Eric Kinoti, an official from A Rocha Kenya. The avian poison Starlicide has proven effective in reducing crow numbers without affecting other birds or animals. In 2022, efficacy tests using Starlicide killed nearly 2,000 crows. "The slow acting poison is entirely metabolized by the crow before it dies, minimizing the risk of secondary poisoning to other species that may feed on the dead crow," said Cecilia Ruto, owner of Little Kenya Gardens, the company licensed to import the poison.
Currently, there are 2kg (4.4lb) of the poison in the country, estimated to kill about 20,000 crows, with plans to import more from New Zealand. However, the use of poison has raised ethical concerns among animal and bird rights activists, who argue that poisoning the crows is inhumane and that alternative, non lethal methods should be explored. "Mass poisoning is a short term solution that does not address the root cause of the problem," said environmentalist Leonard Onyango, advocating for sustainable, humane approaches to managing the crow population.
Despite the concerns, those involved in the program emphasize the need to protect native species and ensure ecological balance. "If we do nothing now, the damage could become irreversible," Kirao said. The government has previously attempted to control invasive bird species, with a culling campaign more than 20 years ago reducing the bird population. However, the importation of Starlicide was later banned to regulate what entered the country.
Apart from dump sites, tourist hotels have become the crows' favorite haunts, where they disrupt guests dining outdoors. "The crows have become a big bother to guests at our hotels," said Maureen Awuor, chairperson of the Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers. Some hotels have resorted to trapping and suffocating the crows, while others hire staff to scare them away with catapults. However, trapping is often ineffective as the intelligent birds avoid areas where they witness others dying or being trapped.
Despite the large number of crows planned for culling, authorities feel they have no choice, especially with concerns that the crows could spread inland. The birds have been spotted in the Mtito Andei area, about 240km (150 miles) from Nairobi. "My biggest fear is, if we don't act now, the crows will reach Nairobi, posing a significant threat to birdlife, especially at the Nairobi National Park," Kirao warned.
