Kenya has released poison to kill a million crows in India

“Invading foreign birds” sounds like a plot from a Hollywood horror blockbuster but for the people of Kenya’s coast it is no fiction.

Authorities there are so concerned about the nuisance caused by crows in Indian houses that they have started a program to get rid of a million of them.

They did not target humans, as in Alfred Hitchock’s horror film The Birds, but they have been causing widespread disturbance for decades, eating wildlife, invading tourist areas and raiding chicken farms.

The poison is used in the towns of Watamu and Malindi to kill the first stage of small invasive species.

This poisoning campaign is aimed at stopping the crows in the capital, Nairobi.

The birds, known on the coast as “kunguru” or “kurabu”, come from India and other parts of Asia, and are often spread elsewhere by the passage of commercial ships.

But they are believed to have been deliberately introduced to East Africa in the 1890s to deal with the growing waste problem on the island of Zanzibar, then a British protectorate. From there, they spread to the mainland and up the coast to Kenya.

They were first recorded in the port of Mombasa in 1947 and since then, their numbers have increased, due to the increase in population and the associated rubbish heaps, which provide a perfect place for the birds to feed and breed. And they have no natural predators.

Indian domestic crows, considered one of the most invasive and destructive birds in the world, have continued their journey northwards.

“They hunt native animals, not only birds but also mammals, reptiles – so their impact on biodiversity is very dangerous,” Jaap Gijsbertsen, a Dutch ornithologist, who visited Kenya’s Watamu area, told the BBC.

Conservationists say the crows have greatly reduced the population of small native birds in the area, such as weavers and waxbills, by tearing up their nests while targeting eggs and even chicks.

“When the local bird population decreases, the environment begins to suffer. There may be an increase in the number of dangerous insects and insects eaten by birds,” said Lennox Kirao, a research scientist at the conservation group A Rocha Kenya.

They also damage crops, livestock and poultry.

“They jump on the chicks and eat them like crazy. These are not normal birds, they do wild things,” said Eunice Katana, a resident of Takaye in Kilifi County.

They are also known to use a unique sound to communicate stress – or when they see prey, according to Mr Kirao.

These birds have destroyed houses in Mombasa by defecating on walls and roofs, while many people avoid living under the shade of trees for fear of being contaminated by their droppings.

“These crows wake up in the morning and disturb our sleep with their annoying cries and screeches,” Mombasa resident Victor Kimuli told the BBC.

In view of all these problems the authorities felt it necessary to act and aim to reduce the number of crows living in India by poisoning them, which started Tuesday.

This follows months of consultation with environmentalists, conservationists, community leaders and representatives of the hotel industry, said the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).

“We are trying to reduce the number of people there,” said Mr Kirao.

The removal process includes months before breeding – when the birds are encouraged, by leaving the meat outside, to gather in various places near their habitats.

“We then poisoned them after collecting the maximum number in the toy areas,” said Eric Kinoti, CEO of A Rocha Kenya.

A bird poison called Starlicide is so far the only known substance that has been shown to be effective in reducing crow numbers, without affecting other birds or animals.

An estimated 2,000 crows were killed in 2022 during a poison test by Little Kenya Gardens, a company licensed to import the poison, said Cecilia Ruto, the owner of the firm.

“The slow-acting poison is completely digested by the crow before it dies – meaning, it is less likely to be poisoned by any other species that feed on the dead crow,” Ms Ruto added.

There is currently 2kg (4.4lb) of poison in the country which is estimated to kill around 20,000 crows in this ongoing eradication. But there are plans to import more from New Zealand.

Its use in Kenya, however, has raised ethical concerns from animal and bird rights activists, who say poisoning crows is inhumane and that alternative, non-lethal methods should be considered.

“Many poisons are a temporary solution that does not solve the root of the problem,” said Leonard Onyango, an environmentalist.

“There is a need to look for sustainable and humane ways to control crows,” he added.

But those involved in the process emphasize the need to protect species and ensure ecological balance.

“If we don’t do anything now, the damage may be irreparable,” said Mr. Kirao, who is involved in the evacuation process.

This is not the first time the government has started programs to control invasive bird species.

A previous attempt more than 20 years ago reduced the number of birds, but the government later banned the importation of Starlicide in an attempt to control what came into the country.

Apart from garbage dumps, tourist hotels have become a favorite haunt of crows, where they flock to restaurants, disturbing guests as they enjoy their meals, hoteliers complain.

“Crows have become a major nuisance for guests who visit our hotels to enjoy food outside the hot beaches,” said Maureen Awuor, chairperson of the Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers.

Some hotels trap and suppress crows, while others hire staff with catapults to scare them away.

But trapping is said to be ineffective as these birds are smart enough to avoid places where they see other crows dying or trapped.

Despite the large numbers scheduled to be killed, the authorities feel that there is nothing else they can do, especially since there are concerns that the crows could spread across the country.

The birds were spotted in Mtito Andei area – about 240km (150 miles) from the capital, Nairobi, conservationists said.

“My biggest fear is that, if we don’t do anything now, the crows will come to Nairobi. This will pose a great threat to the birds in the country, especially in the Nairobi National Park,” said Mr Kirao.