CARTOONISTS USUALLY HAVE a field day sketching vultures, with their somewhat comical looks. In many animated films — from Lion King to Jungle Book — vultures come across as silly, stupid, opportunistic birds.

But what these birds lack in looks, they make up for in character.

To Kenyan raptor scientist Munir Virani, vultures are “cool birds.” They are indispensable, he says, if we want to keep our grass plains and savannas healthy — whether in Asia, Africa, America or Australia.

Without these great raptors, we would be in deep trouble as rotting carcasses piled up, attracting disease and stinking to high heaven.

Vultures eat every part of the animal, including bones. Species like the African white-backed vulture and the Ruppells vulture — the only ones of the genus Gyps that live in East Africa — are soft body eaters.

They are adapted to rapidly consume soft tissues of dead animals that would otherwise rot and spread disease-causing pathogens.

Collectively, these two species account for nearly 70 per cent of the scavenging on dead animals in the Mara Serengeti ecosystem.

They play an important role in keeping the ecosystem free of rotting carcasses.

“Raptors have excellent binocular vision, which is the key to their survival,” Virani explains.

Vultures, owls, eagles, hawks, and falcons fall under the umbrella of raptors.

Unfortunately for the “Ugly Betty” of the avian world, vulture populations have been dwindling to the extent that some are termed nearly extinct, threatened or vulnerable.

It does not matter whether they are in or outside the protected areas because fences don’t matter to birds.

KENYA, UNFORTUNATELY, despite signing almost every international treaty on conservation, holds the record for one of the largest number of deaths of vultures in a single incident — on the Athi-Kapiti plains, adjoining the Nairobi National Park, in 2004.

Some 187 vultures died after eating a dead animal that had been laced with the lethal pesticide Furadan.

“Vultures are highly evolved birds of prey,” says Virani. “They are not disgusting birds, revelling in putridity as Charles Darwin stated — and later changed his mind when he watched them in flight. They like to socialise and have a great time.” He makes them sound very much like humans.

Today, vultures are the hardest hit birds in East Africa.

The bearded vulture, or the Lammergeier, was once commonly found in indigenous forests of Kenya such as the Mau, Cheranganis and Elgon.
Today, there is just one pair in the country surviving in the Cheranganis.

A pair of chicks reintroduced into the Hell’s Gate National Park from Ethiopia a few years ago did not live long — one was killed by a goat herder and the other died in the chimney of the nearby geothermal plant.

“Raptors are umbrella species — they are indicators that an ecosystem is doing okay and providing enough food for all other species. This is because they have huge home ranges.

“The martial eagle, the largest raptor, has a home range of 300 square kilometres. It lays just one egg a year and most chicks die within the first year due to a number of reasons, ranging from human persecution to food for other predators.”

IN THE 1980S, THERE WAS A PAIR in the Nairobi National Park and three in the adjoining Athi-Kapiti plains. This population has since become extinct due to the expansion of urban centres, livestock, farms and the use of chemical pesticides.

But there is hope: Some breeding activity in the Nairobi National Park may herald a new population of the mighty raptor.

“The crowned eagle is the most powerful raptor on the planet, with three and a half inch talons which can grab a bushbuck. These birds are good indicators of the state of the forests.

“Another common eagle that was found in the world famous Maasai Mara National Reserve is the African hawk, which hunts mostly rabbits and guinea fowls.
“However, in the past few years, there has been only one sighting of this bird.

“Eagles are charismatic and represent icons of power, strength and freedom. All over the world, they are portrayed on flags, currencies and logos.

“In 1787, the United States of America adopted the American bald eagle as its emblem; Barclays Bank has it as its logo and the African Fish Eagle graces the Zambian currency. Yet we’re not doing enough to reverse dramatic declines in populations of the species,” says Virani.

There is also a lot that we don’t know about many raptors, such as where their breeding sites are, where they nest, or even — as in one case — their correct identification.

Recently, a bird that was always thought to be a falcon was discovered to be more closely related to the parrot.

USING SOPHISTICATED modern technology such as DNA testing, the Peregrine falcon, which is a superbly fast flier topping speeds of 200 kilometres per hour, may need to be reclassified.

In the 1960s, this regal bird went into sharp decline because of the advent of DDT pesticide, which inhibited calcium production.

In turn, this caused the eggs to break when the birds tried to incubate them. The eggs were too fragile to support the parent bird’s weight.

“There are huge gaps in information and not enough data on raptors,” says Virani, “which makes it difficult to know what’s happening to them.”

In many cases, published data on births, mortalities and causes of mortality may not give a true reflection of the state of affairs because of limitations of recording data.

FOR RARE AND LITTLE HEARD - about raptors such as the white-banded snake eagle or the black-banded snake eagle, there’s very limited information.

Keeping track of raptors is not easy because it requires passion and unlimited patience to watch the birds — sometimes for hours just sitting in the nest in difficult terrain such as cliff tops and dense forests where encounters with serpents and other animals are not uncommon — besides funding constraints.

“We are now seeing the Eastern-chanting goshawk, which is a bird of the semi-arid regions, in areas where they have not previously been seen and replacing the ubiquitous Augur buzzard,” says Virani.

A few plausible theories are that the range may be expanding due to climate change — like an increase in temperature. Also, interestingly enough, suburban gardens are proving to be great hunting grounds for garden birds.

“It is the Hippo syndrome,” says Virani, referring to the acronymn for Habitat destruction, Invasive species, Population growth, Pollution or Poisoning and Over-harvesting.

“Lake Naivasha is a sad account of what’s happened to birds of prey there,” says Virani. The horticulture industry has literally changed the face of the lake and its environs, and yet it is a Ramsar site — a water body of international importance to migratory birds and waterfowls.

“Kenya is a signatory to the Ramsar treaty and is duty bound to safeguard it — but that’s only on paper,” he says.

With weak law enforcement, the horticulture industry has expanded, to the detriment of the lake.

And with no proper infrastructure to handle the increasing population and industry, everything, including untreated sewerage, is washed into the lake.

Common birds like the Augur buzzard have declined dramatically.

The African Fish Eagle population fell from 200 in the 1970s to just 67 in 1998, a 57 per cent decline.

Another small and elusive raptor is the Sokoke Scops Owl, found only in the western section of the coastal Arabuko Sokoke Forest and the foothill forests of the Usambara Mountains, Tanzania. Its habitat is limited even within the forests.

And nobody has ever seen its nest, a discovery waiting to happen, and there’s concern that it may disappear due to the Hippo syndrome as poor communities around the forests continue cutting down trees and bushes for firewood.

However, much as we are in pursuit of green technology to seek clean energy, like wind farms and biofuel, it’s a Catch-22 situation since it comes at great cost to the environment.

The huge windmills on wind farms, though a source of clean energy, have killed many raptors as they fly into the rotating blades.

Electricity poles are another cause of alarm as more of Africa is on the way to being connected.

Yet, according to Virani, these problems can be solved if scientists and developers work together.

ANOTHER IMMINENT threat to raptors is the differing policies of countries in East Africa. In Kenya, all trade in wildlife is illegal. In neighbouring Tanzania, it is legal... and raptors such as Martial Eagles flying across the border are trapped for overseas export.

There are other more succinct threats to raptors. Dark chanting goshawks were once common on the Nakuru-Baringo road. Not any more, since honey farming became a viable industry for the locals, with the effect that many trees are filled with beehives.

Building in raptor territory also causes the bird to abandon its nest for many reasons, among them marauding troops of baboons, which find lodges and campsites great places for rummaging for food.

Road carnage and drowning in dams and stock tanks also take their toll. “These are all threats that are not being addressed,” says Virani.

“It is important to develop local capacity such as more public awareness and networking if we are to save these birds of prey,” Virani says.

“There is a need for a new paradigm on conservation. It does not have to go against development but work in tandem with development projects.

“Populations can bounce back if we appreciate the birds of prey for what they are.

“I think the greatest thing that Kenyans can give raptors is appreciation and getting to know how special we are to have 76 diurnal species of raptors and 15 nocturnal species of owls — one of the highest in the world,” says Virani.

IF WE DIDN’T HAVE RAPTORS like vultures, tourists would not go to the world famous Mara-Serengeti, for it would be full of rotting carcasses, a breeding ground for diseases.

Vultures clean up 70 per cent of the carcasses — that should make a case for raptor conservation.

“Simple things can help save raptors, like when touring the wild, do not picnic under trees that have active raptor nests as this causes the birds to leave the nest. Any egg or chick in the nest will die of heat exposure or starvation,” says Virani.

Dr Munir Virani is the programme director of The Peregrine Fund for Africa and South Asia.

The fund researches raptors in jeopardy, helps to develop local capacity in raptor biology and helps to increase public understanding of conservation and avian habitats.

Dr Virani is also involved with The African Raptor Network, a discussion forum between raptor biologists and enthusiasts across the continent.

[email protected]

www.peregrinefund.org