Warning to poultry owners: Six months’ jail and RM500 fine for refusal to co-operate

NST: Poultry owners in the bird flu-infected areas in Gombak who refuse to hand over their birds to the authorities can be sent to jail.
This warning was issued by Veterinary Services Department deputy director-general Dr Abdul Aziz Jamaluddin, who said those who refused to co-operate in efforts to contain the bird flu outbreak were breaking the law.
Although no one had been hauled up so far, he said it did not mean the department would not enforce the law.
"We can take action. Taking action against offenders is not a problem," he said at a Press conference at the City Hall Health Department in Setapak today.
Offenders may be charged under Section 90 of the Animal Ordinance 1953, which carries upon conviction a six-month jail term or RM500 fine or both.
Dr Aziz was speaking after a house-to-house search for chickens, with Indonesian workers’ kongsi as the main target, in Gombak.
"Our focus is to locate fighting cocks believed to be hidden by Indonesian workers in their kongsi and quarters."
He said the operation had been quite successful as to date, some 3,000 chickens had been caught in the area.
Dr Aziz said he was confident the four villages within a 1km radius of the bird flu-infected area off Jalan Genting Klang — Kampung Pasir Wardieburn, Taman Danau Kota, Pekan Danau Kota and Kampung Belakang JPJ — were now relatively free of chickens.
"Within that zone, the situation is under control. There is no need to worry. No ducks, no birds. We just need to monitor that no chickens from outside are brought in. For this, we need the help of the local authority."
Dr Aziz said a large team would be deployed for a further search tonight but declined to name the areas involved.
He said other strategies to round up birds in the affected zone were being devised.
Yesterday, the department introduced the use of blowpipes to shoot chickens resting in the trees, but the results were not encouraging.
"Tonight, we are going after the ‘superchickens’. These are the clever chickens, the ones that fly high and far.
"Now that we understand their behaviour, we can catch them using a different strategy," said Dr Aziz.
"Also, we may have to conduct checks at daybreak as the roosters’ crows will give away their position."
On the source of the bird flu, Dr Aziz said it was not as critical as rounding up all birds from the infected areas.