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This has not been through a translator - this is a very strange article indeed. My guess is that this report is the result of people who are have problems with birds (i.e. property damage, bird droppings, etc.), and someone decided to scream bird flu.
Cattle egrets pose threat in Serowe
MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE
Staff Writer
Giant trees have already started falling in Serowe as villagers and authorities step up efforts to drive swarms of breeding cattle egrets from the village, Mmegi has been informed.
It has also emerged that a team from the Department of Public Health was in Serowe on Tuesday to assess the public health hazard posed by the breeding egrets. The regional wildlife officer in Serowe has confirmed that two giant trees in the village have been cut, and that more giant tree cutting measures would follow, as the Bangwato capital battle to contain a large number of cattle egrets which breed there every year leaving tales of agony in their trail.
Lucas Rutina yesterday told Mmegi that the two giant trees have had their big branches pruned and cut so that the giant birds, classified under the endangered species in the world, have nowhere to perch, nest and breed. They are only, 4,000 egrets in the world, majority of them, comprising 85 per cent, are in Botswana, according to a Birdlife report.
He added that they intend cutting more giant tree branches, especially after the migratory birds have left the village in winter, in an effort to frustrate the egrets, which are expected to exit the Bangwato capital around winter with their fully grown young ones to warmer climates.
" We are going to burn their nests and cut the trees. Then in October or so when they return to Serowe for breeding we will be waiting with guns for the egrets. We intend to make a lot of bangs to scare them away this time. The noise is going to be so huge, some people might also be affected, we would have to consult them about this", Rutina said.
" In the past we tried other means of scaring the egrets away like using water, and fire crackers but the techniques have failed somehow", a frustrated sounding Rutina, narrated. He said the egrets have been breeding in the area for 10 years now, attracted by the convenience provided by the giant trees in Serowe.
Asked to explain what could have attracted the egrets to the area, the wildlife officer singled out the giant trees as the birds' ideal choice for breeding. " The giant trees are towering, have strong and thorny branches suitable for the big size of the egrets...that means the branches can also hold the egrets' big nests, and young ones...The branches have big thorns which would also make it hard for predators like eagles to hunt the young egrets...their eggs are also well secured up there, surrounded by thick thorns", Rutina explained.
The regional wildlife officer says apart from the giant trees, there is also a dam, holding sewerage water. " These birds are known to breed near large water sources, like the Okavango, but here the nearest water source is the sewerage dam", Rutina said. The officer empathised with residents of Serowe who claim that the birds are giving them sleepless nights. " Yes, you have to be here to see what they are talking about. The egrets leave behind lice, their droppings have a terrible stench, and some of these trees they nest on are in people's yards"
Rutina continued; " When the egrets' droppings fall on somebody's car, the paint rubs off during washing, they are indeed an eyesore, and these people are not trying to kill the birds, they are only appealing for help. They have been living with this situation for 10 years now, they need relief", Rutina explained. However chairman of Botswana Birdlife, Harold Hester doesn't agree with the tree cutting measures; "I have heard that the Serowe council is considering cutting down the trees. That would be a foolish action as the birds would merely move to another area and there would then be no trees at the Town offices. I am going to the area on Friday and will have a look.
In the meantime I suggest they adopt a method of scaring the birds away using fire crackers or water cannons from a fire engine. Do this a few times and the birds will get the message. But don't cut down the trees." Kalahari Conservation Society's CEO Felix Monggae commented: This is an unfortunate situation as it is said to involve human health - though not scientifically verified. However the issue has to be attended to as a matter of urgency to guard against taking uninformed decisions that could have adverse impacts".
KCS continued: "However the best option available is to scare the birds away and destroy the nests when the birds are gone. It would be unfortunate to completely cut the trees for this reason. And we appeal to all stakeholders not to kill the chicks as that would be a draw back in national efforts to conserve our biodiversity".
However Sekgoma Memorial Hospital Superintendent, Morrisons Simvula denied claims that residents of Serowe are suffering from possible bird flu, caused by the egrets in the village. "I hear those rumors. Some are saying they are developing certain wounds. But we have never seen anyone coming to the hospital with a history of wounds caused by the birds. I can't even report those rumors to the department of public health.... I spoke to the director of public health recently and told her we do not have any epidemic in Serowe as a result of the birds", Simvula said. "If at all people with those conditions do exist, they have not come to seek medical help. Other than swine flu, we have not detected any other flu in Serowe. We have had people coming with signs of flu, but it is not an abnormal situation, we do not have a flu epidemic, where cases of flu occur, they are just normal cases", Simvula told Mmegi.
Dr Simvula told Mmegi that if at all the abnormal situations being talked about does exist, he would have at least received reports from his clinics in the village." I come from a place where there are lots of breeding birds, I come from Kasane, and there can only be hygiene problems, I think." Dr Simvula also told Mmegi that yesterday a team from the department of public health was in Serowe to see for themselves the public health hazard posed by the egrets following some alarming reports.
According to the Botswana Birdlife report of 2008, the egrets are among the endangered species in the world, numbering 4,000. Botswana houses majority of the world's egret population, 85 percent of them, according to the Birdlife report. However it does not classify the egrets as migratory birds but as local species, suggesting that they might be coming from other parts of the country just to breed in Serowe.
Cattle egrets pose threat in Serowe
MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE
Staff Writer
Giant trees have already started falling in Serowe as villagers and authorities step up efforts to drive swarms of breeding cattle egrets from the village, Mmegi has been informed.
It has also emerged that a team from the Department of Public Health was in Serowe on Tuesday to assess the public health hazard posed by the breeding egrets. The regional wildlife officer in Serowe has confirmed that two giant trees in the village have been cut, and that more giant tree cutting measures would follow, as the Bangwato capital battle to contain a large number of cattle egrets which breed there every year leaving tales of agony in their trail.
Lucas Rutina yesterday told Mmegi that the two giant trees have had their big branches pruned and cut so that the giant birds, classified under the endangered species in the world, have nowhere to perch, nest and breed. They are only, 4,000 egrets in the world, majority of them, comprising 85 per cent, are in Botswana, according to a Birdlife report.
He added that they intend cutting more giant tree branches, especially after the migratory birds have left the village in winter, in an effort to frustrate the egrets, which are expected to exit the Bangwato capital around winter with their fully grown young ones to warmer climates.
" We are going to burn their nests and cut the trees. Then in October or so when they return to Serowe for breeding we will be waiting with guns for the egrets. We intend to make a lot of bangs to scare them away this time. The noise is going to be so huge, some people might also be affected, we would have to consult them about this", Rutina said.
" In the past we tried other means of scaring the egrets away like using water, and fire crackers but the techniques have failed somehow", a frustrated sounding Rutina, narrated. He said the egrets have been breeding in the area for 10 years now, attracted by the convenience provided by the giant trees in Serowe.
Asked to explain what could have attracted the egrets to the area, the wildlife officer singled out the giant trees as the birds' ideal choice for breeding. " The giant trees are towering, have strong and thorny branches suitable for the big size of the egrets...that means the branches can also hold the egrets' big nests, and young ones...The branches have big thorns which would also make it hard for predators like eagles to hunt the young egrets...their eggs are also well secured up there, surrounded by thick thorns", Rutina explained.
The regional wildlife officer says apart from the giant trees, there is also a dam, holding sewerage water. " These birds are known to breed near large water sources, like the Okavango, but here the nearest water source is the sewerage dam", Rutina said. The officer empathised with residents of Serowe who claim that the birds are giving them sleepless nights. " Yes, you have to be here to see what they are talking about. The egrets leave behind lice, their droppings have a terrible stench, and some of these trees they nest on are in people's yards"
Rutina continued; " When the egrets' droppings fall on somebody's car, the paint rubs off during washing, they are indeed an eyesore, and these people are not trying to kill the birds, they are only appealing for help. They have been living with this situation for 10 years now, they need relief", Rutina explained. However chairman of Botswana Birdlife, Harold Hester doesn't agree with the tree cutting measures; "I have heard that the Serowe council is considering cutting down the trees. That would be a foolish action as the birds would merely move to another area and there would then be no trees at the Town offices. I am going to the area on Friday and will have a look.
In the meantime I suggest they adopt a method of scaring the birds away using fire crackers or water cannons from a fire engine. Do this a few times and the birds will get the message. But don't cut down the trees." Kalahari Conservation Society's CEO Felix Monggae commented: This is an unfortunate situation as it is said to involve human health - though not scientifically verified. However the issue has to be attended to as a matter of urgency to guard against taking uninformed decisions that could have adverse impacts".
KCS continued: "However the best option available is to scare the birds away and destroy the nests when the birds are gone. It would be unfortunate to completely cut the trees for this reason. And we appeal to all stakeholders not to kill the chicks as that would be a draw back in national efforts to conserve our biodiversity".
However Sekgoma Memorial Hospital Superintendent, Morrisons Simvula denied claims that residents of Serowe are suffering from possible bird flu, caused by the egrets in the village. "I hear those rumors. Some are saying they are developing certain wounds. But we have never seen anyone coming to the hospital with a history of wounds caused by the birds. I can't even report those rumors to the department of public health.... I spoke to the director of public health recently and told her we do not have any epidemic in Serowe as a result of the birds", Simvula said. "If at all people with those conditions do exist, they have not come to seek medical help. Other than swine flu, we have not detected any other flu in Serowe. We have had people coming with signs of flu, but it is not an abnormal situation, we do not have a flu epidemic, where cases of flu occur, they are just normal cases", Simvula told Mmegi.
Dr Simvula told Mmegi that if at all the abnormal situations being talked about does exist, he would have at least received reports from his clinics in the village." I come from a place where there are lots of breeding birds, I come from Kasane, and there can only be hygiene problems, I think." Dr Simvula also told Mmegi that yesterday a team from the department of public health was in Serowe to see for themselves the public health hazard posed by the egrets following some alarming reports.
According to the Botswana Birdlife report of 2008, the egrets are among the endangered species in the world, numbering 4,000. Botswana houses majority of the world's egret population, 85 percent of them, according to the Birdlife report. However it does not classify the egrets as migratory birds but as local species, suggesting that they might be coming from other parts of the country just to breed in Serowe.