“Kenyan rice farmers are in trouble,” Verum said as she looked up from her crystal ball. “Kenya is a country in Africa,” she added.
“Why are they in trouble?” Orak said.
“The rice fields in Kenya are under attack. They have been invaded by huge swarms of red-billed quelea birds. They are eating all the rice grains!” Verum said.
“Red-billed quelea birds?” Felix said in an astonished voice, “Their flocks have two million birds! They can eat as much as 20 tonnes of grain in 24 hours! That’s a lot!”
“I am afraid the farmers will reap the worst harvest in five years. It is their only source of income,” Verum said.
“Why don’t the farmers try scaring the birds away?” Scorch suggested.
“They are trying everything. They have put up scarecrows. They have also hired people to scare the birds. But nothing’s working,” Verum answered.
“But why have so many birds come to the fields this year?” Felix wanted to know the reason behind their behavior.
“There was a long drought in a few countries of Africa. It meant there were fewer seeds from wild grasses for the quelea birds. So, to search for food, they invaded fields,” Verum said.
“I hope there’s a solution soon for the problem,” Orak said.