‘NO THREAT OF BIRD FLU FROM RAPTORS’
Birds that come to Straits of Malacca different from birds that migrate to Africa, says expert
NO threat of the H5N8 bird flu has been detected in Malaysia during the migration of birds of prey, or raptors, from the southern hemisphere, which has been underway since early March, said Malaysian Nature Society president Professor Dr Ahmad Ismail.
He said although bird flu had been detected in Algeria last month following to the migration of the birds, Malaysia was, however, so far safe from the threat of bird flu.
“In Malaysia, the migratory birds that often come to the Straits of Malacca in March are different from the birds that migrate to parts of Africa.
“However, the birds that migrate here face a habitat threat, especially in the mangrove swamps affected by oil spills, which occurred last October and has not been fully cleaned up,” he said yesterday.
In February, Algeria declared a state of emergency after the World Organisation for Animal
Health announced an outbreak of bird flu that hit the eastern part of the country.
Algerian Agriculture Minister Abdelhamid Hamdani was quoted as saying that the source of the virus was detected from birds that migrated with the outbreak in the town of Ain Fakrounm.
Ahmad, who is a lecturer in ecotoxicology and wildlife ecology at the Biology, Faculty of Science Department of Universiti Putra Malaysia, said monitoring for the possibility of bird flu should be continued from time to time to prevent any outbreak.
He said about 15,000 birds of prey were detected over the past
10 days, with the group of birds inhabiting the mangrove swamps along the Straits of Malacca.
He was commenting on the coastal forest in Tanjung Tuan, which is a buffer for coastal erosion in Melaka, as well as a habitat for various species of life, including birds of prey that are increasingly being affected due to oil spills.
“This coastal mangrove forest area is very important because birds of prey need it for their food, such as rats, lizards and young birds.
“The oil spill could cause the mangrove trees to die and may cause disruption to the habitat of
these migratory birds, which are highly dependent on the environment to survive.”
Raptors are birds that have hunter and predator characteristics, such as light wings, sharp eyes, hooked beaks, large and sharp claws. In winter in the northern hemisphere, when food resources in breeding areas decline, raptors will migrate to the warmer south because food is more readily available.
Among the birds of prey that often migrate to the Straits of Malacca every March are the Oriental honey buzzard, black baza, Japanese sparrowhawk, Chinese goshawk, brahminy kite and grey-faced buzzard.