IPOH: Keeping parrots as pets is not just about providing them with food and water, but an owner must be willing to sacrifice their time as well as treat them as part of their families.
A parrot owner may undertake long trips to engage in 'freefly' activities just to take care of their pets' feelings and avoid them feeling stressed.
Free flying refers to the act of temporarily releasing parrots into an area to fly with relative freedom, before returning to their owners either upon command or by their own free will.
According to bird owners, if not cared for well, parrots that face stress can sulk or pluck out their own feathers. Otherwise, rearing parrots is a fun activity.
A used-clothes dealer, Mohd Rozilan Mat Yusoff, 43, from Alor Setar, Kedah, said he began watching YouTube videos from parrot owners about caring for these birds, and was even surprised that many Malaysians were also involved in this as a hobby.
It was during the Movement Control Order (MCO) in 2020 that Rozilan said he and his wife Steaphnie Saiful Ahmad Savaran, 33, became interested in rearing parrots.
"It is not hard to rear a parrot. As a hobby, one can't put a price on it. I rear parrots from the time they are young because it is easier to bond with them when young," he told Bernama.
Meanwhile, Steaphnie said rearing parrots was a hobby that she and her husband had not planned on and even faced disappointment when two of their three parrots were stolen in August last year.
"However, we were not disheartened by the incident but continued with this hobby," said Steaphnie, who owns 10 parrots of various types, ranging in ages from three months to three years.
Meanwhile, food trader Mohamad Fakharuddin Mumfit, 35, said the freefly group activity can also indirectly foster camaraderie between the bird lovers and owners.
Mohamad Fakharuddin, who owns three parrots, said that keeping parrots as pets is not an expensive hobby when compared to other interests such as modifying cars.
"For those interested (in keeping parrots), don't be afraid, God willing you can and time should be given to the birds; they should be treated like your own children or family members and they should not be stressed," said Mohamad Fakharuddin, who hails from Langkawi, Kedah.
Meanwhile, Fahmi Abu Bakar, 38, who is from Batu Pahat, Johor, and has three parrots, said the freefly activity was also an opportunity for him to spend time with his family.
He said big freefly activity programmes are sometimes only held once a year, but it is not a problem because almost every Friday and Saturday, he tries to spend such leisure time with his family and pet parrots in Johor.
"Last year, there was a big event in Terengganu and it was no problem just like today, I am willing to come (to Perak) to have fun with my family. Today, I even brought my mother, father, wife and son to see the parrots freefly," he said.
He feels that all types of hobbies can be considered expensive including rearing parrots, but the most important thing is the satisfaction one gets from a hobby.
All the owners of these parrots were at the Silaturahim Santai Free Fly programme, organised by the Perak Parrot Community, at the Iskandar Polo Club here recently.
Perak Parrot Community president Mohd Fairul Mohd Mustafa, 40, said the programme brought together nearly 200 parrot owners and enthusiasts from all over the country. – Bernama