Why Rare Bird Died After 7000km Flight to Kenya

The rare Osprey Bird that flew over 7000 kilometers into the country from Finland has died.

According to a statement from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) on Monday, January 27, the bird's death was associated with long-term starvation that had led to massive organ failure.

"Despite all efforts to rehabilitate and eventually release it back to the wild, the four-year-old bird of prey died at the weekend while under the care of KWS veterinarians and a KWS-licensed Raptor Rehabilitation Centre in Karen Nairobi.

"A post-mortem report conducted by the veterinary teams attributed the death to long-term starvation which precipitated systemic organic failure," the statement read.

The Osprey Bird was discovered in Siaya on January 24, 2020.

KWS indicated that by the time the bird was delivered to them, it had been severely dehydrated, weak, and emaciated from the long flight and minor injuries that were encountered when trapped by a fishing net.

The Osprey, they stated, weighed a paltry 950g against the normal range of between 1.3-1.8kg for grown birds of the species.

The KWS indicated that they had tasked themselves to give the bird the best care they could afford with the intention of releasing it back to its natural route in Siaya, where it was initially found before its demise.

"We were feeding and treating the fish-eating bird back to good health with a plan to release it at the exact site in the Lake Victoria catchment so that the bird does not lose its bearings on the return epic flight northwards in early March," KWS had announced earlier.

KWS also announced that it had received confirmation from Finland that the bird had indeed come from the country as it had been ringed in 2017 and was mature enough for breeding, before its untimely death.

The agency indicated that it was its role to take care of such animals given that the country is a party to agreements that called for the protection of such species.

"Kenya is a signatory to the Convention on Migratory Species, whose conference of parties is to be held in February in India and one of the key mandates is to ensure the conservation of migratory birds species and their habitats," the agency stated.

The ring on the Osprey bird indicated that it had flown 7000 Kilometers from Finland to the country.
  • . .