IN SUMMARY
• Fisherman who rescued the bird, fainted upon receiving the news.
• Bird’s death was as a result of starvation which had caused organ failure.
• Apart from the bruises, the bird looked healthy.
The rare migratory bird known as Osprey which was caught in a fishing net and rescued by a fisherman Walter Oloo Tende on January 20 from the waters of Lake Kanyaboli in Siaya County died at the weekend while under the care of Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) veterinarians in Karen Nairobi.
- “We regret to announce the death of the Osprey bird despite all efforts to rehabilitate it back into the wild,” KWS Spokesman Paul Udoto said
A postmortem examination report showed that the rare Bird’s death was as a result of starvation which had caused organ failure.
The 950-gram bird was delivered to the KWS Veterinary Department on January 23 and has been receiving treatment and care at Raptor Centre in Karen, Nairobi.
It was to be released after treatment before the migration season towards North starts in early March.
Mr Udoto said It weighed 950g against the normal range of 1.3 – 1.8kg weight of an adult osprey.
- “By the time the bird was delivered to the city, it had been severely dehydrated, weak and emaciated from the long flight and minor injuries while trapped by the fishing net,” Udoto said.
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- “We were feeding and treating the fish-eating bird back to good health with a plan to release it at the exact site it was rescued in the Lake Victoria catchment so that the bird does not lose its bearings on the return epic flight Northwards in early March.” Udoto added
Following the death of the Osprey bird that landed in Usalo village in Usenge Sublocation, Bondo Sub-County, Siaya County, after flying for 6,000km last week, a sombre mood has engulfed the village.
Walter Oloo Tende (pictured) who rescued the bird, fainted upon receiving the news.
The 72-year-old fisherman who had volunteered to donate part of his land for conservation, now says he was prepared to see the bird being released to the wild.
- “I love birds and that’s why I decided to rescue it instead of killing it.” said Tende
- “This was like a member of my family and it is a big loss for me. I had even planned to travel to the city to see the bird,” he added
A section of elders who regretted the death of the bird said some rituals were to be conducted before the release of the bird.
- “Traditionally, elders would sit down and conduct some rituals to welcome or send off such strange ‘guests’.” they said
