A family in Akwa Ibom state in south-south Nigeria has a strange reason for killing two colorful birds that flew towards their residence.
The birds, identified as Malimbe red vent, are common in Nigeria and other West African countries.
The family said the two birds were fighting at their late father’s grave and that they considered the incident “not normal.”
A woman, Goodluck Ralph, who is a member of the family, shared photos of the remains of the two birds on her Wednesday. Facebook Stories, and narrated what happened.
“Those birds were seen fighting seriously in the grave until one had to be killed. After killing one, the second became very weak and wanted to fly, but the brother had to kill the second, ”he said.
Ralph, who is a teacher in a private school, said that the birds “have failed” and that she and her family were “more than conquerors,” a phrase popular among Nigerian Pentecostals, suggesting that a victory has been won against some forces. of evil.
He said the incident occurred on New Year’s Day, after his father’s funeral on December 31.
“After we kill them (the birds), we burn them,” he told PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday.
When asked if he didn’t feel sorry for the poor birds, he replied: “Pity them? Birds that fought on my daddy’s grave? Ah!
Ralph said he wouldn’t be surprised if someone thought what his family did was wrong. “People have a choice to feel different,” he said.
Akwa Ibom, with some five million inhabitants, is predominantly Christian, and many hold superstitious beliefs and attribute almost all cases, including poor health, loss of employment and a failed marriage, to some “forces of evil”.
Not in danger
The state of conservation of the Malimbe with red ventilation said to be the least concern – which means that its population status is not threatened or near threatened.
However, Edem Eniang, a wildlife professor at Uyo University, said that species are now rare in Akwa Ibom.
He said that birds use the leaves of raffia palms to make their nests in tall palm trees.
“His net is shaped like a shoe. These nests, when we were children, they were common and we used to carry it and march as soldiers, the ones who were born during the (Nigerian civil) war.
“We weren’t wearing it to serve as shoes, but to have fun with shoes we couldn’t afford,” he said.
He said the killing of the birds is proof that, “We live in a society where people attribute a lot of superstition to every common environmental situation.”
“They also do this with different types of animals. Everything they don’t understand, what they don’t appreciate in terms of biological science, they give a lot of interpretation.
“This is built on a culture that is so reliant on myth, unverified myth, that it has made our lives even more complex.”
The government, he said, needs to introduce conservation education into the school curriculum at all levels.
Eniang said that the red-vented Malimbe are in their breeding season and that the two who died may have fought for territory.
“It is possible that you will find two adults fighting each other to control a territory, a nesting place. During their fight, they will not even know where they are landing, if it is bare ground, if it is serious, they are willing to fight and win. That is even the reason why the observer can walk up to them and kill them without being aware of their presence, ”he said.
The professor highlighted the importance of birds for the ecosystem.
Advertisements
“They play an important role as an indicator of the health of the natural environment. If they are not there, it means that the ecosystem is not balanced. Like any other bird, they aid in pollination, they help control the insect population, they also serve as members of the food chain for other species that are higher than they are in the food chain.
“The song of the birds is very important (for man).”