At the Ecopark
By TAN CHENG LI
The Star, 28 Mar 2006

When the H5N1 virus surfaced in the Ecopark of Bukit Merah Laketown Resort in Perak, the immediate suspect was migratory birds since the theme park is near Kuala Gula, an important wetlands site for wintering birds. 

The park management says its birds were housed in an aviary and thus did not come into contact with any wild birds. Moreover, none had died since March 9, the date when faecal samples which tested positive for H5N1, were collected. 

However, the suggestion that infected migratory bird could have dropped their faeces  when flying  over or perching on

the aviary seems a bit far-fetched. 

In the first place, the Bukit Merah Lake is not a hotspot for water birds. “You do see both resident and migratory water birds such as Chinese pond herons and egrets but not in large numbers,” says ornithologist Lim Kim Chye.  Also, not all birds in the park were housed in the aviary.

There were Muscovy ducks left swimming in the lake for visitors to feed. Perhaps these ducks had been infected and then ventured close to the aviary?  And what about the park’s exotic birds? Could they have come from infected areas? 

Park public relations officer Hanina Abdul Morat, however, says the last bird purchase was in 2003 as international trade in wild birds was banned after that following the first avian flu outbreak. The birds were purchased from local traders. 

She says tests for the virus started after the February outbreak in Setapak, Selangor. All the birds in the park have since been culled – over 250 birds from 39 species worth some RM200,000. Hanina says a great loss was that of four macaws; each was worth up to RM30,000 as they had been trained to perform tricks.