Bird lovers unfazed by bird flu outbreak

Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Indonesia has recorded nine confirmed cases of avian influenza, including five deaths, but bird lovers here say they are not overly worried about the outbreak, arguing they have taken extra measures to ensure their pets do not fall sick.

"My veterinarian told me the best way to protect my birds is to have them vaccinated regularly. That's what I've done since the first bird flu outbreak," Aiko Senosoenoto, director of contemporary dance company Eksotika Kharmawibangga Indonesia (EKI), told The Jakarta Post.

In 2003 the country experienced its first bird flu outbreak in poultry, and, in July of this year, the first human infection in Indonesia was recorded.

Since then, at least nine cases have been confirmed bird flu positive, including five deaths, prompting the Work Bank to offer financial assistance for the mass culling of birds.

The government, however, has refused to carry out mass culls, saying this would not bring an end to the problem.

Aiko said that since then she has given her five song birds -- four perkutut (zebra doves) and three tekukur (turtledoves) -- and three cocks vaccinations every six months.

"In this recent outbreak, I even had them vaccinated before the six months was up. I just don't want to take any chances," she said from her home in Manggarai, South Jakarta.

At her home in Pondok Gede, East Jakarta, Ati Zainudin Sikado, wife of a former director general for air transportation, makes sure her birds are healthy by regularly cleaning their cages.

"I also give them vitamins with their food to boost their immune systems," the owner of six birds, including a myna bird, cockatoo and zebra dove, said.

Famous Indonesian chef Rudy Choirudin also boosts the immune system of his birds through a regular vaccination program. But this bird lover has his own unique way of keeping his pets happy and healthy.

"Captive birds should never be treated the way we want to treat them, but the way they should be treated, the same as in the wild," he said.

Because captive birds are more susceptible to diseases due to the stresses associated with transportation and enclosure, the best treatment for birds, according to Rudy, it to recreate their natural habitat.

This is why he makes sure his 150 song birds -- including murai batu (white-rumped shama), anis merah (orange-headed thrush) and jalak (starling) -- each has its own spacious cage, and a special area where the birds can fly out and bathe.

Birds have their own body defense mechanism, which is supported by their natural habitat, and Rudy tries to recreate this environment for his own birds.

"I make sure they have an adequate supply of carbohydrates from seeds and corn, a source of vitamins, which they naturally receive from fruit, a source of protein, from insects and worms, and minerals from dew drops, and added to their water source," he explained.

With the help of workers at his spacious residence in Bintaro, South Jakarta, Rudy also makes sure that the birds' cages are kept clean through the use of disinfectants.