‘Saviours’ for Kenya’s biggest insect: The story of the Indian crow in Africa

While the world is trying to go through all kinds of conflicts and wars, the Kenyan government has declared an all-out war against crows, especially the Indian crow.

Earlier this month, the government made headlines after announcing its plan to rid one million homes of crows by the end of this year. According to Wakenya.co, the decision came after years of dealing with the nuisance presence of domestic crows.

In a statement on the matter, the country’s Wildlife Service (KWS) continued to refer to the crows as “invasive alien birds”, adding that crows have been a public nuisance for decades.

Although the species Corvus splendens, commonly known as the house crow, was native to India and other parts of Asia, it can be seen in parts of Europe, America and Africa as well. However, what makes the issue interesting is the fact that what is a threat to modern society was once considered a powerful resource in the past.

Why Kenya insists on killing Indian crows?

Authorities noted that house crows have caused significant damage to the domestic bird population and posed a major challenge to the hospitality industry, especially in coastal regions.

According to KWS, crows have not only driven local bird species from their natural habitats. Speaking at a meeting attended by various stakeholders including representatives from the hospitality sector and wildlife conservation organizations Prof. Charles Musyoki, Director of Wildlife and Community Services who represented the Director General of KWS, emphasized the urgency of the plan to eradicate domestic crows.

Farmers in Kenya have also expressed their concern regarding the increase in crows as these invasive birds affect their crops. The presence of domestic crows also poses many threats, including disease transmission, hunting of native birds and their eggs, and disturbance to residents and tourists with their incessant breeding.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time that the government has initiated plans to deal with these birds. The original experiment was carried out by the Kenyan government 20 years ago and played a major role in reducing the number of crows. However, the recent increase in numbers forced the authorities to come up with an extermination plan.

What will they do about it?

KWS has said that it intends to use targeted methods and techniques to kill the birds, even as the Kenya Pest and Product Control Board (PCPB) gave hoteliers the green light to order the approved poison.

The PCPB went on to say that poisons are the best way to control the population and these poisons will not be harmful to the public as they will break down inside the bird’s body. Some people in coastal regions have already started using Larsen traps (a cage-like device to catch birds with the help of decoys).

How crows were ‘liberators’ during the garbage crisis

Interestingly, the presence of the house crow in Africa goes way back. They were first established in Zanzibar in the 1890s to control the waste problem in the area. According to Kenyans.co, the species started arriving on Swahili shores in the 1940s.

Since then, they have been a major challenge for local authorities. Their diet and adaptation to urban environments has fueled their rapid expansion.

When it comes to Kenya, their presence is found in the mornings in waste-rich areas that make up fast-growing urban centers such as Mombasa, Malindi, Watamu, and Kilifi. These domestic crows are believed to have entered Mombasa in 1947 via ship or from the neighboring country of Zanzibar.

Invasive species

Africa is not the only continent that has become a victim of this nation’s expansion of invasive species.

The adaptive behavior of these crows has reached many places where human settlements exist. The birds are also found from Europe to Western Asia, Australia to America.

Therefore, it will be interesting to see how Kenya plans to deal with the problem.

Find us on YouTube

Sign up