The government, which wants to help the farmers who are facing losses in their crops, is preparing to resort to the pesticide method. Experts warned of the negative picture that this situation will cause.
Kenya, located in East Africa, has declared war against the grain-eating bird quelea.
The government in the country is looking for a solution to stop the birds invading the farms.
Red-billed birds on target
In this context, it was decided to kill approximately 6 million red-billed quelea birds.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a single quelea can eat up to 10 grams of grain per day.
Crop losses hit $50 million
According to the news of the Guardian, farmers in Kenya are expected to lose close to 60 tons of grain due to birds.
In 2021, FAO estimates crop losses attributed to birds to be $50 million annually.
Insecticide warning from experts
However, experts warned that an attempt to kill the birds in question would have undesirable consequences for other raptors and wild species.
For toxic pesticides to be used to destroy queleas, the researchers “It can injure or kill non-target organisms.” said.
Satellite image suggestion
According to the Guardian, in a report by the University of Greenwich, “If the efficiency of control operations can be increased, the amount of drugs used can be reduced.” expression was used.
As part of control strategies, it was stated that breeding sites of queleas could be detected from satellite images.
Tanzania awarded $500,000 for bird control
Quelea infestation is common in many African countries. The Food and Agriculture Organization transferred $500,000 to the Tanzanian government to support pesticide spraying, surveillance and capacity building six months ago after 21 million queleans invaded the fields.
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