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Rodgers Oloo Magutha, better known as the Nairobi Birdman, has become famous both locally and worldwide for the wild birds around him and the content he produces.
Living in a one-room house with the wild birds he has rescued while injured and orphaned, he tries to nurse them back to health.
The 28-year-old ‘birdman’ has become one of Kenya’s most unusual grassroots activists. He releases birds—ranging from crows, pigeons and owls to black kites and other birds of prey—back into the wild once he has treated them back to health.
The content he produces shows him feeding the birds from the same plate, allowing them to roam freely in his home and walking through the city while birds follow him.
This situation gives him a reputation around the neighbourhood he lives in.
Magutha earns his living by collecting recyclable plastic from dumpsites and cleaning waste from Nairobi's rivers. He mentions that the work shows his commitment to the environment.
However, he conflicts with Kenyan authorities. They argue that keeping the wild animals in a house and in a neighborhood would be risky for public health. Also, Magutha’s way with birds is not the way to protect wildlife, according to the authorities.
On the other hand, his supporters highlight his work as a rare example of individual dedication to urban wildlife conservation despite his limited means.
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