Gomantong cave inheritors assert right to bird’s nests

December 24, 2010

Bird’s nest soup is one of the world’s most expensive delicacies. – Wikipedia.org pic

KINABATANGAN, Dec 24 – The inheritors of Gua Gomantong are asking the government to abolish the tender system for collecting bird’s nests so as to return the customary right to them as the local Bumiputera inhabitants.

They conveyed their request through a memorandum submitted to the Wildlife and National Parks Office in Gua Gomantong today to be sent to state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun.

The cave inheritors, who have the right to collect the bird’s nests have formed the Gua Gomantong Bird’s Nest Heritage Action Committee, handed over the memorandum to Wildlife assistant, Ismail Maul.

Committee chairman Yahya Ebby said the memorandum also urged the government to amend the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997 in regard to the status of Gua Gomantong so that it be recognised as private property subject to government royalty.

He claimed that the tender system introduced by the state government for collecting bird’s nests from the cave had denied the cave inheritors’ their customary right.

“The tender system has resulted in the hiring of many foreigners to work at the cave,” he said.

According to him, the bird’s nests at the cave were collected four times a year by the contractor, causing bird’s nests that were not ready for picking to be harvested too while the sale of swiftlet fledglings to outsiders is said to have taken place also.

He claimed the contractor also used powerful lights to illuminate the cave when collecting the bird’s nests as well as a noisy generator set that could disturb the birds in their nests. – Bernama