Traditional capture of Red-billed Quelea Quelea quelea in the Lake Chad Basin and its possible role in reducing damage levels in cereals

Mullié, W.C. 2000. Traditional capture of Red-billed Quelea Quelea quelea in the Lake Chad Basin and its possible role in reducing damage levels in cereals. Ostrich 71 (1 & 2): 15–20.

Three traditional methods of capturing Red-billed Quelea Quelea quelea practised by different ethnic groups, were studied in the Lake Chad Basin in Chad and Cameroon: capture of birds by triangular hand-held nets by Hadjeraï piégeurs (trappers); with standing fishing nets of the “mist net” type by Gambai; and by cast nets (épervier) by Massa and Mousgoum fishermen.

The Hadjeraï net was found to be both selective for queleas and highly efficient. As many as 1.2 million birds were captured from 13 June to 21 August 1994 around N'Djamena, Chad, alone, until activities ceased due to heavy rains. Birds were trapped in tree roosts during moonless periods of the night. They were plucked and fried the following morning, subsequently dried in the sun, and eventually transported to the market in N'Djamena to be sold. The piégeurs operated in teams of about 6 men and each team could process about 20 000 birds per day. Once this number had been captured, they withdrew from further trapping. The catches were almost entirely composed of queleas, with sometimes a small percentage (<1%) of Golden Sparrow Passer luteus. It was estimated that annually at least 5–10 million queleas were trapped, with a market value of about 19–38 million FCFA (USA37 500–75 000).

The impact of trapping on the population of queleas in the Lake Chad Basin, estimated at about 200 million individuals in 1976/77, was insignificant. Since activities of piégeurs are aimed at maximising revenues, and not at minimising damage levels, there is no causal relationship between crop damage and number of birds trapped. However, compared to crop losses in pearl millet due to quelea damage, revenues from selling quelea are up to 40% of capitalized crop losses due to quelea in the same area.