Tanzania: five million birds killed to protect rice fields

Last week, the Tanzanian Plant Protection and Pesticides Authority (TPHPA) killed five million birds in the Manyara region in the north of the country, where over 400 hectares of commercial crops were threatened.

A total of five million Quelea Quelea, small red-billed birds, have been exterminated in Tanzania to protect rice fields, using drones in particular, the national plant and pesticide monitoring agency said on Wednesday.

Last week, the Tanzanian Plant Protection and Pesticides Authority (TPHPA) killed five million birds in the Manyara region in the north of the country, where more than 400 hectares of commercial crops were threatened, reports AFP.

« We have killed five million destructive birds, and now we are monitoring other areas, » Joseph Ndunguru, Director General of TPHPA, told AFP.

Quelea Quelea, or Red-billed Workers, which travel in large flocks, have wreaked havoc on crops in Africa in the past, with invasions usually occurring at the start of the dry season in September and October.

Alex Khatib