‘World’s largest free-flight walk-in aviary’. This claim in a leaflet lying in my hotel room in Kuala Lumpur becomes as much a lure as it seems a tourist trap.
Well, the lure bit wins eventually and on a drizzly day, I find myself buying a ticket at the entrance of the KL Bird Park. And how grateful I am to have given in to lure for a change! A one-of-a-kind experience, it also laces my heart with shame that we Indians have failed so royally in making nature co-exist with our growing high rise and mall culture.
Passing through a string of green chains dangling from the Park entrance, I push open a mesh door to enter a sprawling world of over 3000 birds belonging to 200 species — some local, some imported. What a world of joy! Constant chirping, cawing and croaking suddenly become a part of my consciousness. With raindrops tip-tapping on the ground, with a variety of trees creating an awning above me, how easy it is to forget that I am just 10 minutes away from Kuala Lumpur’s high rise infested city centre! Better still when a milky stork walks by me, oblivious of my presence, while a group of grey pheasants leads the way.
Set up in 1991, the 21-acre KL Bird Park is within the city’s Lake Gardens area or what is officially called Perdana Botanical Gardens or Taman Tashik Perdana. The 125-year-old botanical gardens was the brainchild of the British state treasurer of Selangor, Alfred Venning. The area now constitutes an artificial lake, an impressive garden of hibiscus — the national flower of Malaysia, an orchid garden, a deer park and the KL Butterfly Park apart from the bird park.
The idea of setting up a bird park within the city limits was first applied in Penang, in 1988. But what makes the KL Bird Park exclusive is its concept of free-flight. Entering the door of the Park gives the feeling of stepping into a huge cage covered with nets placed high up. It is full of water bodies, trees and shrubs — their fallen leaves and twigs strewn here and there, and there is the precious silence of a forest, thus giving the winged residents a semi-natural habitat.
The birds are allotted areas as per their type. While the flightless birds like ostrich and emu occupy a grassy side of the park, those that need water — such as the flamingos, the pelicans, the storks, etc. – are by a big stream with an artificial waterfall. Parrots get their own areas, so do the variety of hornbills, Malaysia’s national bird. The water here is full of fish and worms, enabling the birds to prey on their own though some other birds are fed as in a zoo. Visitors can take part in bird feeding which follows a strict daily schedule. Those accompanied by children can enjoy seeing their young ones caw and drool in excitement at the Park’s bird show, held twice daily at a semi-open amphitheatre.
An added attraction is also getting yourself photographed with exotic birds. I go for it, allowing a great hornbill to sit on my lap, a blue and orange macaw on my shoulder, a white macaw on my head and a parrot on my wrist!
According to park officials, the birds have adjusted very well to the surroundings, making their breeding programme a success since 2002. Interestingly, species like emu and African grey parrot – not endemic to the region otherwise – have proved to be some of the most successful birds to have responded to breeding. Since 2002, 37 emus native to Australia have been born from six parent birds. Also, 15 African grey parrots have taken birth in the last 10 years. Other breeds like yellow billed stork, silver pheasant, sun conure, the Indian peafowl, eclectus parrot, straw headed bulbul, etc. have also been producing young ones, highlighting the fact that it is one of the viable ways of preserving a bird breed.
A similar endeavour can be seen at the nearby KL Butterfly Park. A joy again! With 80,000 square feet of landscaped garden, it is said to be the largest butterfly park in the world. You get the privilege of walking through the park with about 5000 butterflies from across the world hopping about a diversity of ferns and shrubs, lilies and hibiscuses and orchids like the Bird of Paradise. Interesting to see wings of so many colours at one time! Also things like how some, when on closing their wings, give the look of a dry leaf!
The gurgling sound of water flowing on the artificial streams by the ferns and the flowers is as soothing as that of the real ones. The water bodies hold colourful fish like the Japanese Koi, also freshwater turtles. Insects like grasshoppers are abundant too. Every now and then, I see trays of ripe fruits and fresh flowers, a device to allow the butterflies to feed on the nectar.
What is to be pointed out is also the effort by the authorities in both the parks to provide a platform to school children as well as others interested in birds and butterflies to learn how these winged beings breed, how they have evolved over the years. While the bird park nursery can teach you the methods of incubating eggs and producing chicks from them, its bird gallery has displays of bird skeletons, a variety of feet, wings and eggs from across the world to help educate a visitor on many aspects of a bird.
The museum at the butterfly park is something to write home about. The types of butterflies are categorised continent-wise. How interesting to see a display outside of India on the kind of butterflies available in the Indian sub- continent! The display of Indian butterflies at the Museum of Natural History in Delhi fades in comparison. Also, looking at the colours of the butterflies from South America, and at the sheer size of those from Africa, you nearly make travel plans to these regions!
Closer home, in Greater Noida, there is reportedly a plan to start a butterfly park. Hope it becomes a reality one day, also one that gives an experience that is worth comparing with one of the best practices in the field!
KL Bird Park
Open from 9 A.M. to 6 P.M.
Tickets: (Adult) 50 ringgit
Child below 12 years: 41 ringgit
KL Butterfly Park
Open from 9 A.M. to 6 P.M.
Tickets (Adult): 20 ringgit
Child below 12 years: 10 ringgit
