Kenya revives the poisoning campaign to limit invasive Indian houses Vrani – mongabay.com

Nairobi – introduced to East Africa in 1891 in Zanzibar to cope with domestic food waste, in Kenya in Kenya expanded in Keny Disadviation for tourist spots, parties and companies with open space.

The country now fights with millions of invasive Indian houses Vrani (Corvus Splendens), especially in the coastal region, popular with tourists, through an increased poisoning campaign. This is the first such effort, as the initial attempt was interrupted two decades ago after the regulators banned the imports of Poison DRC-1339, better known as Starlicide.

Like many invasive species, insatiable birds spread very quickly in Africa, thanks to the growing piles of food waste that provide ideal grounds for eating and reproduction.

Without natural predators, crows have become a serious pest in several countries, including Djibouti and South Africa. Census in the city of Vataam in Kilifi County in Kenya in January 2024, for example, estimates that there are more than 12,000 crows, according to the non -governmental organization for the protection of Rosha Kenya. He also believes that in March 2024 there are more than 31,000 birds in the city of Malindi, about 20 kilometers (12 miles). It happened only from five crows in Vataam and 25-30 in Malindi in 2005, just three years before the Star Imports were cut off.

In 2022, the private landscaping company Little Kenya Gardens (LKG), which holds a monopoly on the import of poison, brought a small amount – 2.5 kilograms or 5.5 pounds – to stars for testing, with an eye for the revival of mass poisoning campaign S It was part of the National House Edition Program, headed by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), which classified the Indian house as an invasive species.

The elimination campaign intensified in 2024, when the country was aimed at killing at least one million birds. The aim was also to stop the spread of crows from the shore in the internal tourist areas and the capital of the country, Nairobi.

According to Eric Cinema, Project Coordinator in Rocha, the goal of one million was very ambitious: “The biggest challenge we are experiencing is the poor disposal of domestic food waste in this region, which causes birds to multiply very quickly and increase to The number, in this way, really disappoint our efforts. “

Through LKG, he explains, they import more poison in November last year, which did not begin to use as they still unfold those acquired in 2022.

LKG owner Cecilia Ruto says about 2000 crows were killed in the tests in 2022 to test the effectiveness of the poison. The poison is treated entirely in the body of the crow before the bird dies, which is a small risk to the cleaners who feed on the corpse of dead crows.

In the United States, where it was developed more than 50 years ago, a bird’s control of birds such as crows, ravens, black birds, seagulls and magicians, which are considered pests of crops or pose a threat to humans or endangered species, has been registered. The slowly acting poison kills targeted birds within three to 80 hours of consumption, but it is said to be non -toxic to inappropriate species.

Since last year, cinema, which has run the current partnership campaign in partnership with KWS, explains that they have organized the number of role grains, outline the bait and collected data on the spread of Crow.

It starts with 10-14 days before the lure, in which the field officers expose a lure for food rather than poisoned to get used to the crows to feed on the objects of the bait. Then the actual poisoning begins; Cinema says sites are carefully selected away from human trafficking. “It’s oral poison, so it is applied by feeding crow poisoned meat,” he adds. On the day after the poisoning, explains cinema, a team of collectors is located to intelligence for eradiction to gather dead crows.

“Our trained field staff have two main tasks. One collects data by counting how many birds feed on the bait, and the other is to chase away all the non -target species that come to the place. So far we have visual confirmation that the project is working, [which is an] Increasing small bird populations around Vatamu and others where poisoning was performed. However, we have a long way because we have a huge area to cover in terms of the same. We will soon hold the number of heels to evaluate the number of populations in Roosts, “cinema told Mongabay.

“The poisoning program is environmentally friendly as it is aimed at crows, it is practically non -toxic to other birds of prey,” says Shiv Capila, director of Naivasha Raptor, who is part of the Kenyan bird of Prey Trust. “The benefits of eliminating them exceed the environmental costs, this is the most humane way to control them. If the program succeeds, this is a long -term solution to this threat and we should not be afraid. “

Capila said Indian houses deleted populations from local birds, especially weavers, in the area of ​​Diani, a popular beach, south of the port city of Mombasa. “We have no longer seen some of these local birds for a decade. These birds [crows] They are inconvenience … The only benefit they have is to eat garbage … But they grab food from visitors, they are noisy … However, many people come to the shore of Kenya for tourism, “according to Capilla.

He adds that it is important to prevent them from spreading to the densely populated area of ​​Nairobi, where they can be strengthened and outlined. A study published last year found that Vrani usually built their nests near human settlements to improve their access to food and the chances of survival.

Paul Gachero, a manager of types and sites in the Nature Kenya Conservation Organization, says that the Indian Vrana House will have a huge negative impact on local biodiversity and various sectors of the economy, including tourism.

“The parties must weigh the cost and benefits of these crows. As for Kenya, these crows are a threat that requires control, “Gachero tells Mongabai. “The long -term solution should take a regional approach to the control of the crows. Kenya does not need to spend millions of shillings controlling crows until Tanzania does the same. This is because Tanzania will eventually become a population of the source for the species. “

He has also called for measures to improve solid waste management in large urban areas, which will minimize the presence of food for these purifying birds.

Image of a banner: Indian Vrana House (Corvus Splendens). Image by Gerifaltedelsabana via Flickr (CC by-SA 4.0).