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Africa’s birds of prey find few friendly skies as industry and agriculture create new hazards

For 40 years, raptors have fallen victim to power lines, poisoned carcasses and other hazards of a developing continent. The Soysambu reserve in Kenya is one of the few places keeping them safe – but for how long?

The Globe and Mail
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At the Soysambu bird sanctuary, raptor technician John Kyalo Mwanzia rehabilitates a juvenile fish eagle that was injured in a fight over territory around nearby Lake Naivasha. Raptor populations in Africa have fallen about 90 per cent over the past 40 years, according to a study published in January by The Peregrine Fund.

Simon Thomsett, director of raptor conservation at Soysambu, has been working with African birds of prey for decades. One of his current charges is Helen the crowned eagle, who is too injured to fly after captivity in Nyeri county damaged her wing and eyesight.
Shiv Kapila, one of the directors of the Kenya Bird of Prey Trust, exercises Horrace the lappet-faced vulture at the Naivasha Raptor Centre. In fashion terms, a lappet is a decorative flap on clothing; these birds got that name from the folded surface of their heads.
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This Bateleur eagle underwent surgery for a broken wing. Mr. Mwanzia and Mr. Thomsett dress the injury and checking on its progress as the bird shakes off a mild sedative.

Power lines are one reason why raptors have declined so much: They perch on wires to hunt prey, then get electrocuted. These high-voltage cables pass through the Lake Elemantaita National Wildlife Sanctuary, and other pylons scar the Soysambu reserve.
Poison is another threat. Carrion birds, like these critically endangered Rüppell’s vultures, may feed on carcasses that farmers have laced with chemicals intended to kill lions, hyenas and other predators that prey on their livestock.
Mr. Mwanzia subdues a white-backed vulture before an X-ray to see how its wing is healing after surgery. A struggle with a hyena in Maasai Mara left the bird with a broken bone and tissue. For staff at the raptor centre, the hope is to get birds like this ready for life in the wild, where they can continue their vital role in African ecosystems.

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