Poser Over Bird Operation By Council

Forest Department not aware licence issued to curb population of swiftlets, starling.

Borneo Post (6 February 2002)
By Zora Chan & Pauline Ho

Kuching: The Sibu Municipal Council's on- going operation to curb the swiftlet and starlings population in town has raised a question.

Has the council obtained the permission of the authority concerned to trap and kill the birds which are protected by the law?

Forest Department deputy director, Dr Lee Hue Seng said yesterday he was not aware that a license has been issued to the council for the operation as required under the Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1998. " As far as I know, my department did not issue a permit to the Sibu Municipal Council to curb the population of swiftlets and starlings in Sibu town," he said when contacted.

Swiftlet and starling are among the 580 species of birds in Borneo which are protected under the ordinance. The killing and trapping of protected wildlife is banned unless they are posing a threat to the people, such as crocodiles. But then again, a licence is required to kill the reptile. The penalty for infringing the Wildlife Ordinance is imprisonment of up to a year and a fine of up to RM 10,000.00

It is learned that the SMC has been trapping and killing these small birds for quite some time now, following complains that they are nuisance to the people.

The people find them nuisance because their droppings dirtied their newly white-washed buildings and vehicles in town.

These birds normally roost on tall trees and over heads power lines at night. In Sibu, a businessman has called on the council to stop killing the starlings and the swiflets as the birds do not pose a threat to human beings.

Jimmy Anye,36, agreed with the Malaysian Nature Society Kuching Branch that there was no danger posed by the birds.

MNS Kuching Branch chairman Anthony Sebastian had said that killing the birds was not the solution.

Anye felt it was the duty of SMC to clean the birds droppings on the ground. It would also be a good idea to put up a signboard under those trees where the birds roosted to inform motorist not to park under them at night, he said yesterday.
Anye further suggested that if SMC had the licence from the Forestry Department to catch the birds to control its population, the council could offer to give the birds caught to nature lovers rather than kill all of them.

Anye was puzzled why the Forestry did not take action against SMC for killing the birds, but brought to book natives who killed protected species for food.

"Sometimes, the natives sell the meat for money to buy food also" he said.