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Indian crows threaten native Kenyan birds

Kenyan farmer Danson Safari was forced to quit poultry rearing after losing numerous chickens to attacks from aggressive Indian home crows which are multiplying along the nation's coast.

The growing danger has triggered Kenyan authorities and conservation groups to turn to a chemical called starlicide to eliminate the pests while minimising harm to other birds.

The intrusive types was initially given East Africa from the Indian subcontinent in 1891 and scientists quote that they number nearly one million in Kenya today.

The crows have actually drastically decreased the populations of birds belonging to Kenya, said Kirao Lennox, research study researcher at conservation group A Rocha Kenya.

They are now preceding on our indigenous species, targeting nests, eggs, chicks, and even adult birds, Lennox stated. Without natural predators to keep their numbers in check, they are overwhelming the ecosystem, causing the decrease of native types.

Considering that being released, the starlicide has actually killed around 200 crows in a month in the seaside town of Watamu, said Eric Kinoti, a crow control officer at A Rocha Kenya.

Kinoti said the crows have actually likewise been seen along the road linking the port city of Mombasa to Nairobi. He fears the crows might annihilate biodiversity within Kenya's capital city, particularly in Nairobi National forest, home to hundreds of bird species.

We do not want them to get to Nairobi, he said. When they enter into that environment, they are going to totally remove the other bird species.

(source: Reuters)