Conservationists: Poisoning, climate change among threats facing prey birds

Conservationists have warned that most species of prey birds are under threat of extinction

They called on communities and relevant authorities to take care of prey birds because they are of great importance to the ecosystem.

Among the threats facing these birds include killings and injuries, poisoning, electrocution, deforestation, overgrazing and climate change.

Naivasha Raptor Center director Shiv Kapila said these birds are often mistaken for other species that attack chickens and are killed by humans.

Kapila said these birds prefer flying high and often face death and injuries from electrocution having landed on electric lines in search of a high view while preying.

In Naivasha, a conservation trust is working round the clock to ensure the well-being of birds of prey in a bid to ensure their safety, health and long life.

At The Kenya Bird of Prey Trust along the shores of Lake Naivasha within Kilimandege Sanctuary are tens of birds of prey, most of them nursing injuries and undergoing treatment and subsequent rehabilitation before being released to the wild.

The trust was established in 2015 as an initiative of three people who have put in structures to ensure that their work continues even in their absence. Its mandates include rescue, rehabilitation, advocacy, awareness creation and research.

Naivasha Raptor Center is part of the Kenya Bird of Prey Trust which has another centre at Soysambu ranch on the outskirts of Nakuru city.

“We usually get information on injured or threatened birds through social media or phone calls, we have volunteer pilots who fly to the location for example in the Maasai Mara, experts offer the birds first aid and bring them here for further check-up,” Kapila said.

Speaking during a media exposure tour organised by Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA) under the biodiversity program, he revealed that a bird loses a lot of muscle mass during the recovery and rehabilitation period which takes between six weeks and two months.

“The bird is then trained to fly to the wild and return, thus aiding in rebuilding the muscle mass, show competency in hunting, socialising with other birds in the wild after which the process of slow release to the wild starts,” he added.

He said a solar-powered GPS gadget is fixed on the birds for monitoring to follow up on their progress while in the wild and eventually deactivated as they adapt to the new life.

“At Raptor Center, the birds in rehabilitation are used to teach visitors including school children about the need for conservation and the impact of losing them on the ecosystem,” Kapila said.

He said vultures start breeding at between 8-9 years old and have one egg every two years, meaning their multiplication is slow and subsequent need for keen conservation.

He said there are 100 species of birds of prey in Kenya while at the two centres combined, they have about 26 species and a total of 65 individual birds.

“The two centres receive between 100-150 incoming ‘patients’ annually and have a release back to the wild rate of 70 per cent,” he said.

Every year, the centre receives an average of 2000 visitors and an estimated same number of school children with the minimum donation per adult being Sh1,000.

“The reason why we have to ask for those donations is because the birds are very expensive to maintain, with each vulture consuming 30-40 kilos of meat monthly,” Kapila said.

To ensure community involvement, the trust has employed locals and often educates communities, especially in schools and local wildlife clubs using posters, documentaries and presentations.

“People think of birds of prey as enemies especially because they associate them with attacking chicken, however, there are those large ones like vultures which are important to the environment by clearing carcasses,” Darcy Ogada, the Africa Program Director at the Peregrine Fund said.

She observed that communities should know that there are numerous birds of prey, how slow some of them breed and their importance to the ecosystem.

“These birds are cleanup crew, birds of prey are vital to farmers because they feed on rodents such as mice, rats and moles while smaller birds eat insects,” she said.

Ogada added that there was a need for communities to differentiate which specific species are a threat and how to manage them without harming the birds.

“People often kill the eagle thinking it took the chicken while the actual culprit is usually the ‘spiral’ hawk,” Ogada said.

Among some of the birds of prey under threat, she said, including the martial eagle, secretary bird and owls.

MESHA CEO Daniel Aghan called on journalists to commit to issues of conservation and climate change as it would play a big role in informing and educating the public.