A marabou stork that was injured and left for dead got some unexpected emergency treatment from a paramedic attached to St John’s Ambulance in Nairobi.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Sakina - the paramedic, detailed how she ended up saving the injured bird.
The paramedic acted swiftly and splintered the leg that had sustained multiple fractures, going on to administer some antiseptic after disinfecting the bleeding wound. She then secured the splintered leg with clean bandages.
“On June 28, I noticed she was limping heavily and on close inspection, I noticed that she was bleeding as well,
“I felt so bad for the bird as she looked resigned to her fate. I called a colleague of mine (James) to hold her down for me as I tended to her wounds,” Sakina detailed.
A day later, the paramedic consulted one of her colleagues, (Peter Kooome Mburu), and following an online search, they soon found a facility (Raptor Doctors) that could treat the bird even further.
As it turns out, her small act of kindness moved the doctors at the animal treatment centre, and they asked her to name the bird she had just saved. That is how marabou stork became ‘Stella’.
“I did all that because I love saving live regardless,” the St John’s Ambulance paramedic proudly pointed out.
She further revealed that ‘Stella’ had moved into their office compound a month ago, after a tree she had called home was axed to pave way for the ongoing infrastructural projects in the city.
Among the many acts the paramedic considers to be ‘just another day in the office’ includes helping deliver a baby at Uhuru Park, inside a Ngong-bound matatu and several other matatus and other places such as outside Afya centre and Kencom.
She has also been called upon as a first responder during some of the country’s worst disasters such as the Dusit D2 attack, the Westgate attack, the Eastleigh mosque bombing among countless others.
However, her latest act involving one of Nairobi’s most famous birds has drawn plaudits from environmentalists and citizens alike.
Unknown to most, marabou storks mate for life. Both parents help to raise their young for months on end and the sudden change in their Nairobi habitat may have already engineered irreversible damage.
The population of the marabou stork, one of the largest scavenger birds of East Africa, appears to have exploded in nearly all major towns.
In Nairobi, they used to have large colonies on trees along Uhuru Highway near Nyayo Stadium and Harry Thuku Road next to the University of Nairobi. The birds are also prominent at Moi Forces Academy, the Dandora garbage dump and other areas such as the abattoirs.
In March 2020, the state said that the Chinese contractor hired to build the Nairobi Expressway would plant trees at all affected public places.
The firm (China Road and Bridge Corporation) also announced that it would leave the cut trees on site for several days to provide temporary habitats for the Marabou storks and other birds living in the areas and allow time for the birds to escape.
The Kenyan public has expressed anger over the destruction of the environment along Nairobi’s Waiyaki Way and Uhuru Highway to pave way for the construction of the Nairobi Expressway.
There has been a widespread expression of concern over the shrinking of green spaces in Nairobi.
To give an idea of how much green space has already been lost, between 1976 and 2000, Nairobi’s forest cover went from 14 percent to 3 percent Bushland cover, over the same period, was also dropped from 22 percent to 13 percent.
See more photos from Sakina's heroic act below:
