KARIM STEADFAST ON FARMING SWIFTLETS

KIMANIS, 3rd June, 2009: Farming swiftlets for the highly priced bird’s nest may not be easy but certainly feasible as shown by former Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Karim Bujang.

He initially invested RM200,000 to build a three-storey building for the birds and had to wait at least two years before any of the swiftlets decided to set up home there.

Furthermore, he declares that of the three species of swiftlets, whose nests are sought after, only the “wallet” can assure of the desired financial return.

Karim persevered and once a wallet or two started building nests, the others flocked to his building.

“Once the wallet birds come, you still have to wait for them to build a colony before we can harvest,” he said.

Presently, Karim has a few hundred wallet birds in his building but he is not in a hurry to harvest the nests just yet.

“I want them to continue building the colony. I also don’t want to disrupt their environment right now.

“If the peaceful environment is disrupted, the birds might just leave for good,” he said.

He explained that with a huge swiftlet population harvests can be made up to four times a year.

However, the harvesting must be conducted in adherence to Good Animal Husbandry Practices (GAHP) and only at suitable times.

“The best time to harvest is when the nests are empty, and not when there are eggs or young birds in them,” said Karim.

He believes the lack of GAHP in harvesting bird’s nests in Gomantong and Madai resulted in smaller harvests over the years.

The population of wild swiftlets also decreased due to the destruction of their habitat.

Karim is confident that helping swiftlets form colonies in man-made caves and structures will ensure their population does not continue to dwindle.