Carmine bee-eaters caught in deadly, illegal nets

During a visit to the area east of the road leading from Katima Mulilo to the border crossing at the Ngoma Bridge, heading east towards the Nakabolelwa settlement and further to Impalila Island in the Zambezi Region, a Namibia Media Holdings (NMH) team came across a breeding area of the Southern carmine bee-eater (in the Kabulabula conservancy).

There, it was discovered that unknown individuals had strategically covered the breeding area with nylon nets, in which the birds become entangled when leaving or flying to their nests, which are dug into the clay soil.

Numerous dead birds were found in the nets, and a falcon, which was feeding on the remains, seemed unaware of the potential danger of getting entangled while trying to rip meat from the nets.

Investigation launched

A local tour guide reported the case to the relevant authorities, and the environment ministry confirmed that it intends to investigate the matter in collaboration with other conservation organisations in the area.

During conversations with local residents, it was suggested that there are allegedly Chinese businessmen who are willing to pay well for the feathers of the birds.

The Southern carmine bee-eater (Merops nubicoides) belongs to the bee-eater family and should not be confused with the carmine bee-eater (Merops nubicus).

It prefers floodplains and rivers and is found in the north-eastern wetlands of Namibia. Its range extends from KwaZulu-Natal across the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Gabon and Kenya. The NMH team managed to free a live bird from the net in the hope of saving it from a brutal death:

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