By ANTHONY KITIMO

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Climate change and a conducive environment in the Kenyan Coast have resulted in flocking of the Indian house crows from as far as Zanzibar and Comoros.

The birds, which stow away in ships, landing in coastal towns away from their native ranges, are now so many on the Kenyan coast that they have displaced the other native species by raiding their nests and feeding on their young, and have become such a nuisance the authorities have hired a company to poison them.

Crows thrive on garbage, but they have been raiding hotels and grabbing guests’ food.

Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) director of wildlife and community service Charles Musyoki, said crows are also known to kill indigenous animal species in the region, including small birds, creating an imbalance in the ecosystem.

Hotelier Sam Ikwaye said the Indian house crows are alien to the region and are carriers of avian diseases. 

“If you are into chicken farming, you might lose all your chicks,” he said.

With no natural predators in Kenya, plus their ability to adapt to new environments quickly, they have increased exponentially in numbers of thanks to the mounds of garbage, which provide their main source of food.

The birds, which are said to have originated from India, as the name suggests were first spotted in Mombasa in 1947 but today, they are estimated to be two million within the Coast ecosystem. 

“It means the crows are equivalent to the population of Mombasa and, if not controlled, soon they will surpass the population,” said Heritage Hotels Group operations manager Wasike Wasike.

Lukresia Kiamba, a Mombasa food vendor, said she had to relocate her stall as the birds used to steal her fish and meat.

“At times I could lose fish or meat worth more than Ksh500 ($3.85),” Ms Kiamba said. 

The crows have now become too costly to manage and eradicate.

In Kilifi, for instance, a team has been sent to map their feeding and nesting zones in order to poison them. 

The Kilifi chairperson of the Kenya Association for Hotel Keepers and Caterers (KAHC) Maureen Awour said a kilo of poison goes for Ksh800,000 ($6,164). 

In a meeting held last month, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) director of wildlife and community service Charles Musyoki, said they had planned to kill at least half of the population before December this year.

Read: Murder for the bully of Zanzibar!

The elimination will involve Starlicide, a poison to be imported from the United States of America.

Little Kenya Gardens has been certified by Pest Control Poisons Board and issued with the permit to import the poison.

But the cost remains a problem, with stakeholders estimating that it will cost Ksh10 million to procure the poison and other resources needed.

The stakeholders have embarked on public  sensitisation with scientists allaying fears that Starlicide poses risk to human and animal life.

After poisoning, the carcasses will be gathered and interred in mass graves.

Between 1999 and 2005, A Rocha Kenya, a conservation and research organisation, used Starlicide to eliminate crows in Malindi. 

Their records show they managed to reduce crows from hundreds to fewer than 50, but the Kenya government later banned the importation of Starlicide. 

Former Tourism Cabinet Secretary Dr Alfred Mutua supported the initiative by the hoteliers. 

“We want to kill all crows from Lamu to Zanzibar so that they cannot fly to Kenya, because they are destroying our environment and causing diseases,” he said.