How Kween hungry youth are killing migratory birds
The group of youth from Ayorei village Girik Sub-county, Kween District show off some yellow-billed storks they have captured. Photos/ David Wandeka
What you need to know:
- A recent study published by BirdLife International estimates that around 25 million birds are killed yearly during their regular crossing of the Mediterranean Sea.
- The illegal activity has its roots in the socio-economic aspects of countries, such as poverty in rural communities and a long-standing tradition of bird trapping. In Uganda, thousands of migratory birds are being killed yearly on their way back home in the Northern Hemisphere as David Wandeka reports.
On March 19, 2025, Uganda signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa (Raptors MoU).
The aim of the agreement, which 65 countries have signed, is to enhance conservation efforts for migratory raptors, many of which are facing increasing threats.
However, in Ayorei village, Korite Parish, Girik Sub-county, Kween District, no one has heard of the MoU. No one cares about its existence.
Every day, the residents wake up to navigate ways in which to keep the gnawing emptiness in their stomachs at bay.
It is a hot day and a group of young men walks behind a tractor as it ploughs a field.
They hold long sticks in their hands, chatting in Swahili. At some point, they increase their pace. There is a shout. The young men ran towards a ditch, sticks raised.
The birds are slaughtered with pangas and roasted in the open fields
One of them has spotted a field rat. They beat it to death with their sticks and then throw it on top of a nearby heap of dead rats.
Every time the tractor overturns the soil, several rats are exposed, and inevitably, beaten to death.
The field is on the periphery of Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, the second-largest conservation-protected area in Uganda. At the end of an hour, there is lively banter as the youths carry over 50 dead rats to a collection point away from the field.
Here, purple crystals of paraquat dichloride, a highly toxic pesticide, are crushed and mixed with waragi (potent gin). Then, they slit the rats’ bellies and pour in the purple mixture.
Levi Araptany, the group’s chairperson, says the dead rats will be dropped back in the field to bait yellow-billed storks (Mycteria ibis) flying over the field on their way back to Europe after wintering in warmer African climes.
“The dry season has affected agricultural production and as a result, we do not have food. So, for the last two years, we have been hunting these birds to feed our families. I can tell you that the female birds are tastier than their male counterparts,” Araptany notes.
Within no time, several storks swoop down to swallow the rats. They become weak and drowsy from the concoction in the rats’ bellies and fall down. They are captured immediately and slaughtered with pangas (machetes).
Their lovely white and brown feathers are plucked off, while their intestines are buried in the field. Some of the carcasses are roasted on an open fire and eaten.
“The poison from the rats does not affect us, otherwise, we would have died a long time ago. We have become so successful at hunting these birds that we have killed many,” Araptany says.
On average, the yellow-billed stork weighs between three to eight kilograms.
The remaining carcasses are transported to the trading centre and sold to travellers and residents. Araptany says he uses his earnings to buy flour and cooking oil. He saves Shs1,500 ($0.41) per day.
“When we started, we were capturing eight birds a day but now we capture 30. Depending on its weight and gender, we sell the birds at Shs8,000 or Shs15,000 ($2.18 or $4.08). Recently, due to disease, all the chickens in the village died. The alternative is to eat these birds, which are nutritious,” he adds.
However, not everyone in the village is happy that these young men have found a solution to their hunger.
Joel Cherop, a farmer and conservationist, is dismayed at the poaching of migratory birds, decrying the hungry stomachs that are creating innovative minds.
“The young men kill the birds for survival. If the birds were not flying over the fields, these men would be eating the rats. Some of these migratory birds have numbered tags from the University of Warsaw in Poland,” he says.
Cherop has kept the rings of two such birds, one of them numbered T3915. He says some of these birds probably have chips to track their migratory journey from Europe to Africa.
“These young men have eaten yellow-billed storks in their thousands. We have lost about 3,000 birds. What is unfortunate is that the birds are being captured within the vicinity of Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve yet Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) is not on the ground to give these men alternative livelihood sources,” he says.
Cherop adds that climate change has brought several challenges to this community. Previously, the villagers depended on charcoal burning until they cut down every tree in the community.
“UWA can make these young men part of the country’s conservation efforts. However, they sit in their offices in Kampala and do not associate with the people. When they come to the community, it is to arrest poachers. They do not come with solutions to poaching,” he says.
There is no tree in sight in Ayorei village yet a +few years ago, these storks found refuge and shelter in the trees.
Uganda’s conservation journey
The abundance of water and greenery has created an ideal habitat for migratory birds to breed, nest, and raise their young ones. Uganda’s diverse ecosystems also attract the birds, which are pollinators, seed dispersers, and contribute to health of the ecosystem and agriculture.
Secondly, Uganda has 12 designated Ramsar sites, which include Lake Mburo–Nakivali Wetland System, Murchison Falls National Park, Lake Opeta, Lutembe Bay, Lake Bisina, Lake Nakuwa Wetland System, Mabamba Bay, Nabajjuzi Wetland System, Lake Nabugabo Wetland, Sango Bay-Musambwa Island-Kagera Wetland System (SAMUKA), Lake Albert Delta Wetland System, and the Kyoga Basin Satellite Lakes.
A Ramsar site is a wetland designated of international importance, especially as waterfowl habitat, under the Ramsar Convention, an intergovernmental environment treaty established in 1975
UWA is responsible for the management of 10 national parks, 12 wildlife reserves, seven wildlife sanctuaries, and provides guidance over the management of five Community Wildlife Areas.
With over 242 bird species, Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve is one of the birdwatcher paradises in Uganda. Recently, the government has expressed interest in upgrading the wildlife reserve to a national park.
Bashir Hangi, UWA’s head of communications and public relations, says the organisation has only recently received information about the poisoning of migratory birds.
“Regardless of where a wildlife species is, it must be protected. We want to investigate the truth in those claims, what kind of birds are being killed, and who is killing them,” he says.
The challenge is that the storks are not in an enclosed area. They are roaming freely in the fields of the community and this makes it difficult to protect them.
“Protecting those birds requires a combination of strategies such as intelligence operations, enforcement, and massive awareness campaigns to help the community appreciate the importance of the birds for pollination and seed dispersal,” Hangi adds.
Uganda is home to over 1,080 bird species. Asked whether the killings of migratory birds will not diminish our status as a bird sanctuary, Hangi says the world should know that Uganda is safe for birds.
“Of course, it is regrettable that these people are killing the storks. This is one of the countries that attracts tourists for the birding experience and we need to protect the country’s image. However, we do not have enough manpower to go to every community to ensure that the birds are protected,” he says.
Hangi adds that it is not sustainable to have UWA staff stationed in every village, so continuous engagement with community leaders, members, and the police is the way forward.
“We cannot eliminate the killings but once community members are sensitised, they will know that if a bird comes to their gardens, they do not have to kill it. They just have to chase it away,” he explains.
Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve neighbours the districts of Kween, Katakwi, Nakapiripirit, and Amudat, all in eastern Uganda.
While several poachers have been arrested for illegal entry into and unlawful grazing of cattle in the wildlife reserve, none have been arrested for specifically killing migratory birds.
Anti-poaching strategies
Last year, UWA arrested over 2,000 persons involved in various wildlife crimes. Of these, 600 were prosecuted and 400 were convicted. According to Hangi, UWA is employing several strategies to combat poaching.
“We use drones and high technology software to monitor our protected areas. We fly drones over national parks and wildlife reserves and if there are illegal activities, we contain them swiftly. We have a fairly sophisticated intelligence system now and a competent investigations department, so we have built our capacity over time,” he says.
The intelligence is filed by members of communities living near the national parks, who, Hangi says, “have appreciated that we must work together to protect wildlife because they have tested the benefits of wildlife conservation.”
Hangi adds that every year, UWA recruits more manpower to ensure that conservation work does not come to a standstill.
These efforts, however, mean nothing to the youths of Ayorei village.
Largely unaware of what conservation means, they are calling on the government to provide them with the means, such as irrigation equipment, to boost their agricultural production.
“I am not interfering in any tourism activity. By hunting and selling these birds, we are sustaining our lives. The good thing is that we do not poach in Pian Upe (Wildlife Reserve). These things (birds) come to our lands,” Araptany explains.
Hangi reiterates that the birds are important to the ecosystem and balancing aquatic life.
“What I want to tell the youths killing these birds is that the birds are good for you - not as a delicacy - but to the entire ecosystem. We need to protect them. If you find an injured bird, inform us and we will take it to the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre (UWEC) for rehabilitation,” he says.
Araptany adds that the birds were brought to the community by God, in answer to their prayers against hunger.
“We have chicken that can be eaten. Let us leave wildlife to flourish so that we all benefit from it,” Hangi retorts.
The youth pour the poisonous concoction into a dead rat's belly
The way forward
Hope Atuhaire, the Kween’s resident district commissioner, reveals that district authorities are not aware of the killings of migratory birds. She says her office will engage UWA, local leaders, and other stakeholders to sensitise the youth against poaching the birds.
“Those young men could be eating those birds because they lack the knowledge of how unique and valuable the birds are to Uganda’s tourism sector. Instead of poaching, they should enrol in the government poverty alleviation programs,” she says.
Conservation is a key driver in the growth of tourism and, in turn, the economy.
Birding is one of the key components of tourism. The Mt. Elgon region is well known birding area, especially around Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve. If no attention is paid to the poaching activities of these youth, it will be a stain on Uganda’s conservation efforts.
OF RAMSAR SITES
Uganda has 12 designated Ramsar sites, which include Lake Mburo–Nakivali Wetland System, Murchison Falls National Park, Lake Opeta, Lutembe Bay, Lake Bisina, Lake Nakuwa Wetland System, Mabamba Bay, Nabajjuzi Wetland System, Lake Nabugabo Wetland, Sango Bay-Musambwa Island-Kagera Wetland System (SAMUKA), Lake Albert Delta Wetland System, and the Kyoga Basin Satellite Lakes.
A Ramsar site is a wetland designated of international importance, especially as waterfowl habitat, under the Ramsar Convention, an intergovernmental environment treaty established in 1975 UWA is responsible for the management of 10 national parks, 12 wildlife reserves, seven wildlife sanctuaries, and provides guidance over the management of five Community Wildlife Areas
