(MY) swiftlets

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Spot Light: In a fluff over bird's nest building - New Straits Times*13 Jul

2006*

Chok Suat Ling and Himanshu Bhatt <news

 

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*The lucrative bird's nest business has come under fire from people who

claim it is a health hazard and a threat to heritage. But entrepreneurs say

the industry is misunderstood and should be allowed to develop, write CHOK

SUAT LING and HIMANSHU BHATT.

*

MANY owners of " swiftlet hotels " in the country are laughing all the way to

the bank. But others are less amused.

 

Over the last few years, getting swiftlets to roost in converted buildings

has become big business as entrepreneurs cash in on the strong demand for

bird's nests, mainly from Taiwan, China and Hong Kong.

 

The nests, made from the saliva of Aerodamus fuciphagus, are said to be

excellent for the complexion and in promoting respiratory and gastric

health.

 

The swiftlet uses its spit to string together small gauze-like nests which

are the main ingredient of bird's nest soup, a Chinese delicacy.

 

The " bird-houses " started flourishing in the 1990s. There are now an

estimated 30,000 such " swiftlet hotels " in the country, although not all

have been successful in attracting the birds.

 

With the retail price of bird's nest ranging from RM4,000 to RM5,000 a kilo,

depending on its quality, it is no wonder that entrepreneurs are willing to

spend tens of thousands of ringgit to convert old, sometimes abandoned,

buildings, into homes for swiftlets.

 

The buildings are fitted with humidifiers and stereo systems that play

recorded bird-calls to lure the birds, which normally roost in isolated

caves.

 

Badan Warisan Malaysia believes that while the economic arguments for a

bird's nest industry may be strong, the need to protect heritage

architecture and ensure a healthy environment is stronger.

 

Its executive director, Elizabeth Cardosa, says converting a heritage

building into a " bird-house " is not only inappropriate but has many other

deleterious effects.

 

Special conditions have to be created to encourage swiftlets to nest in

these old houses, such as boarding up windows and doors to keep out

sunlight, with small openings high up on the walls for the birds to get in

and out.

 

" In a closed environment, moisture accumulates and accelerates the decay of

plaster, brick walls and timber ceilings, " Cardosa says.

 

" The rotting wood invites termite infestation. Bird droppings also hasten

the destruction of building materials and the interior ornamentation and

beautiful embellishments of heritage buildings. "

 

She says neighbouring houses would also be affected by droppings and the

noise of recorded bird-calls.

 

" Eventually, residents will sell or rent their houses in the core heritage

zones of Malacca and Penang. This will have a devastating effect on the

development of cultural tourism. "

 

Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) enforcement director

Misliah Bashir says the department issues licences to " swiftlet hotel "

owners to harvest the nests, " but owners must first get a licence for the

premises from the local authority " .

 

Guidelines have been issued in the past two years to ensure that local

authorities have a consistent policy for the industry.

 

The guidelines, among others, specify that bird-houses cannot be built in

residential or business areas and should be at least 100 metres from human

habitats. But Misliah admits enforcement is not easy as the premises are

sometimes locked up when officers arrive.

 

She says the chances of swiftlets contracting bird flu is minimal, allaying

one immediate public concern.

 

" They are non-migratory and do not share flying or roosting space with other

birds. Swiftlets also do not have the same food and water sources as other

birds. "

 

Malaysian Bird's Nest Merchants Association president Lim Theam Siew notes

that several sets of guidelines have been formulated by government agencies

— the Housing and Local Government Ministry, Perhilitan, and the Science,

Technology and Innovation Ministry. But Lim say they cannot effectively

regulate the industry.

 

" They do not understand the industry, " he says. " Some of the guidelines are

not practical and would make it impossible for us to conduct our business.

 

" For instance, one of the requirements for a 'bird-house' is a fire escape.

But why is that necessary when the only occupants are birds? "

 

In a tour of a converted shoplot in Seremban recently, Lim pointed out

several bird's nests jutting out like half-moon balconies from thin wooden

planks attached to the ceiling.

 

Lim says owners of these " birdhouses " ensure the cleanliness of their

properties as this will give them high-quality nests.

 

He says the association, which has a well-established membership, should be

allowed to regulate the industry.

 

" We have the experience and can educate operators on the proper way to set

up and maintain 'bird-houses'. We teach them how to keep their premises

clean and to ensure the nests are collected only when the chicks leave.

 

" The association has also organised seminars with participants from

Cambodia, the Philippines and Myanmar.

 

" The Government can help us by doing research. Universities can formulate

courses on bird's nests. We should not be talking about licensing and

regulations, but how we can create awareness. "

 

Cardosa says Badan Warisan does not wish to " bring the industry down " .

 

" If it is a viable industry, they should receive the support of the

Government. Our concerns relate to the conversion of heritage properties

into bird-houses. "

 

She notes that in Thailand and Indonesia, " bird-houses " are constructed in

padi fields and near coastal areas, which do not place pressure on the

cultural and heritage environment.

 

" At the end of the day, the question is whether we want a town or

neighbourhood filled with people, or one which is potentially a ghost town

filled with birds, " she says.

 

 

 

 

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*Penang making noise over incessant din*

 

GEORGE TOWN: Amid the din of busy Chulia Street, one can hear the cries of

swiftlets as they fly around the roof of an old shophouse with its windows

and doors tightly shut.

 

But the urban bird's nest harvesting business that has boomed in George Town

is coming under pressure from the Government.

 

On Dec 31 last year, the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) imposed

stringent regulations for all bird's nest operators to apply for licences.

 

Most have applied, but many are unable to comply with the conditions, says

Komtar assemblyman Lim Gim Soon.

 

One of these conditions is to keep the noise down. Sounds made by tweeter

speakers to attract the swiftlets must be less than two decibels. This

volume is not enough to draw as many birds as breeders would like.

 

Many are also unable to change their land-use status from residential to

commercial. Most of the 200 breeders on Penang island are in the city and

are operating in heritage buildings even though the MPPP forbids bird's

nests in places gazetted as heritage structures or zones.

 

Tengku Idaura Tengku Ibrahim's family bought a terrace shophouse on the

Armenian Street heritage enclave a few years ago when they kept getting

calls from strangers wanting to rent the premises to be used as " swiftlet

hotels " .

 

Although they declined, some of their neighbours did not.

 

" The nests are all inside the buildings behind the casement windows, " Idaura

said. " They've shut them out from the outside world with planks.

 

" But you can hear them all the time. It's such a nuisance. "

 

There is also the almost incessant noise of the electronic tweeters that are

left on throughout the day to attract the birds.

 

Idaura is also concerned that over time bird droppings will mar the

beautiful façade of the heritage buildings.

 

The Penang Heritage Trust has been receiving complaints from people living

in the inner city, said its chairman Dr Choong Sim Poey.

 

" People buying houses in heritage areas are caught by surprise when they

find there are bird breeders in the neighbourhood. "