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A pilot programme to eradicate the invasive alien House Crow from the Peninsula has proved highly successful, with about one quarter of the estimated 10 000-strong population eliminated in the past few months. The predatory and scavenging crows, which feed on carrion and store food in places such as the eaves of houses, carry diseases including cholera, salmonella and entero-amoeba. They also target indigenous bird species, robbing their nests and killing their chicks. Louise Stafford, the City of Cape Town's invasive alien species co-ordinator, confirmed that they had conducted eradication trials during December in partnership with a service provider, the Nature Conservation Corporation, in preparation for the formal registration of the avicide poison, Starlicide. This poison is widely used for problem birds, but is strongly opposed by some animal welfare groups, including the SPCA. Stafford said the trials had involved testing the efficacy of bait and baiting methods, and that she hoped the avicide would soon receive emergency registration, after a 13-month battle. She was responding to recent messages on the local birders' Internet forum, capebirdnet. One of these messages was posted by Gerald Wingate, who asked this week: "Where are the House Crows? Article Continues: IOL Comments
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 written by Derek , April 07, 2010
There are vast numbers of this alien invasive species in certain areas of the karoo, particularly in the little Karoo around Oudtshoorn.
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It is sad, but i feel that they need to be controlled - the house crows. The fact that humans may have created the ideal conditions for them to flourish does not mean that we should allow them to continue flourishing at the expense of indigenous species - this then makes the problem even worse. What is the impact of the poisoning on other species? is it targeted at the house crow only? My recent observations (since December 2009) are that there seems to have been an explosion in the crow population in general within the areas recently travelled by myself - I refer to the Pied Crow and House Crow specifically. Any reasons as to what the reason for this could be? report abuse
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So that explains the amount of sick-looking crows of seen. Shame on them. I agree, the crows are problematic to other wildlife, but then, us humans have formed the perfect breeding 'ground'; for them to flourish. But instead of resloving this, we have to poison them. The few crows I saw that I, at the time, thought: they look poisoned, seemed to be suffering. They flapped about, couldn't fly straight, etc. No way of catching them to put them out of their misery, or I'd have done so. Now I find that they probably were poisoned. Clearly this poison makes them die slowly and painfully. Surely there MUST be a better way?! Can't they be sterilised?
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So typical of the Cape Town metropole: out of control animals: lets poison 'em! report abuse
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I know that about 10 years ago the city of Dar es Salaam attempted a programme of trapping their house crows, which was successfully blocked by a campaign led by some bunny-hugging expat wives who now live in places like Switzerland, while the house crows have multiplied in a Malthusian horror show where it is impossible to find Tanzanian native birds in the city anymore.
House crows in Africa, like mynahs, is a manmade mess. We have an obligation to do what we can to reverse the damage. What suggestions do YOU have, grumpy?
I'm strongly opposed to using poisons myself but would like to know what the consequence-management aspect is of the Cape Town initiative - what is the half-life of the poison - what research is being done as regards the poisoning of creatures that feed on the carcasses? What efforts are made to find and safely dispose of the carcasses so that they AREN'T lying around waiting to be fed upon? What alternatives, e.g. trapping, were considered? Give us the full story before we form sarcastic opinions based on generalisations.