Jakarta bird lovers in a flap over anti-flu drive
Source: Reuters
By Ahmad Pathoni JAKARTA, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Sutan Zahar's prized parrot welcomes visitors with the traditional Muslim greeting of "Salam-u-alaykum", Arabic for "Peace be with you. So cherished is the pet, he doesn't want to let it go despite an Indonesian government campaign against backyard birds as part of efforts to stamp out bird flu. "People have offered big money for my birds but I refused to sell them. They are precious," Zahar told Reuters as he bought food for his pets at Pramuka bird market in East Jakarta. Zahar -- who also owns a yellow-crowned bulbul, a popular song bird -- is one of hundreds of Indonesian bird lovers in Jakarta who have been scrambling to get certificates declaring their birds are healthy. Without it, their pets will confiscated and destroyed. The rush began after Governor Sutiyoso launched a campaign to rid Jakarta of backyard chickens, ducks and other birds following a flareup in the disease this year after a brief lull. Six Indonesians have died of bird flu this year, taking the country's death toll to 63, the highest of any nation. The H5N1 bird flu virus is endemic in poultry in most provinces in the archipelago of 17,000 islands spread across thousands of kilometres. An official said at least 3,000 people have declared their pets each day since the governor announced this month that birds must have bird flu-free certificates from authorities by Feb. 1. "Our agency has been overwhelmed by people who want to get certificates for their birds. We are seeking help from veterinary students," said Nani Susetioharti, head of the animal disease prevention department at city's animal husbandry office. "We have refused to issue certificates to many bird owners because the birds were not well taken care of or the cages were dirty," she said. Pet birds and those intended for research are allowed as long as they are certified by authorities as healthy. MIXED REACTION The Jakarta campaign has received a mixed reaction from residents. Some welcome the cull, while others are worried about losing a key source of income. "Since the ban was announced, I have lost 60 percent of my income," said bird food trader John Kennedy. "I don't agree with this stupid regulation." Keeping exotic birds as pets is an obsession in Indonesia, where affluent families keep songbirds inside their homes. According to conservation group Bird Life, there are more than 2.5 million pet birds in Indonesia, including protected species such as the brilliantly coloured Bird of Paradise. Fighting bird flu hasn't been easy in the world's fourth most populous nation brimming with cultural differences among its 220 million people. Millions of backyard fowl live in close proximity to humans and keeping chickens is ingrained in Indonesia's culture. Health education campaigns have often been patchy and rules are difficult to enforce. Educating people to keep fowl well away from their homes and to disinfect cages regularly has proved a particularly tough sell. Many poultry traders in markets take little or no precautions when handling or slaughtering birds. Most human bird flu cases have resulted from contact with infected fowl. The World Health Organisation says bird flu has infected 270 people worldwide since late 2003, killing 164 of them. Experts fear the more the virus spreads in birds, the greater the chances it might mutate in a form that causes a flu pandemic in humans.
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