Zebra dove farmers confident of bird flu measures
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Amid the bird flu scare in the country, bird farmers in Jakarta are confident in their approach for keeping their birds and families healthy.
"Farm sanitation and plenty of sunlight" is their simple motto for protecting their birds and themselves from the deadly virus.
Tony Surono, the owner of Trah Sejati Bird Farm in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, said that even before the scare he always kept his bird farm of about 100 perkutut (zebra doves) clean.
"I regularly allow the perkutut to bask in sunlight," he said.
"Perkutut rarely get sick. I always keep the farm clean because perkutut are valued for their song; therefore, I make sure they avoid respiratory diseases like production of excessive mucous or even bird flu," Tony, who started the farm six years ago, told The Jakarta Post, at his house-cum-farm.
He added that once a perkutut succumbed to respiratory disease, the quality of its song would nosedive.
"I know that if a bird here gets sick and dies, I will have to use gloves to handle the remains," he said.
Separately, M. Sadili, the owner of BBC Bird Farm, Central Jakarta, said a similar thing about his method of keeping his hundreds of perkutut safe from the virus.
"Cleanliness and plenty of sun," he said. "I also spray the farm with microcide regularly."
In September, Sadili and those of his neighbors who also kept birds asked people from the city's farming agency to inspect and disinfect their homes.
"There's nothing to worry about. I'm more worried about chickens and rats: We could contract the virus from rats, right?" he said.
At least 350 perkutut farmers can be found in greater Jakarta, with at least five to 500 pairs of birds registered at the Association of Perkutut Farmers of Indonesia (PPPSI).
"In Indonesia, about 3,000 members, mostly farmers, are registered at PPPSI," PPSI deputy secretary-general Andriyanto Selancar told the Post.
Keeping birds as a pet is the chosen hobby of many Indonesian men, mostly Javanese, whose culture dictates that an "established" man should have a bird (of the feathered variety), on top of other basic belongings.
"Bird flu is not having a drastic impact on us. We're still holding competitions as usual," he said.
"Please don't exaggerate the issue. Most of our members have taken preventive action against bird flu," he said.
If bird flu does becomes pandemic, bird-lovers might have to cull their pets.
They also sometimes feel accused of doing the wrong thing by keeping birds.
"So far, all the cases were related to chickens. If you've ever seen a chicken farm, you will know the conditions under which they operate are sometimes unclean," Tony said, while showing off his large bird-breeding cages.
He added that he sold perkutut for Rp 100,000 (US$10) to Rp 2.5 million.
"But a champion perkutut, like Susi Susanti from Tasikmalaya or Meteor Selancar (Surabaya) could fetch an astronomical price like Rp 750 million or even Rp 1 billion," he said, referring to two champion birds that frequently clinched the top position in national competitions.
A champion at provincial level could fetch Rp 100 million while city champions could be worth Rp 20 million to 30 million bids, he added.
It seems that bird farmers and fanciers will be make the most effective attempts to fight against bird flu. Surely they would not want their precious birds to die in the first place?
Jakarta's Farming Agency contacts: (each district has its own farming agency office, contact the municipality office for district office numbers)
Jakarta Farming Agency 021-6285484, 021-6267276 Central Jakarta Farming Agency 021 3519086 North Jakarta Farming Agency 021 4308876 West Jakarta Farming Agency 021 5680732 South Jakarta Farming Agency 021 021 7206147-49 East Jakarta Farming Agency 021 021 4808337