BABAHAN (Indonesia) — Three snow-white Bali mynahs squawk and swing their crests, waving and looking around. Their eyes are catching the sun with their distinctive blue patches. Four more joined the group minutes later — something that was impossible two decades ago in the wild.
Conservationists have reintroduced the birds to Bali province after working with bird sellers and breeders — who are the ones responsible for the birds’ decline.
Experts agree that more research and monitoring are needed. However, the conservation model has proven promising over the past decade and could be replicated to protect other birds in Indonesia.
The Bali mynah is an endangered species that lives in Bali. They are a sought-after collector’s item in international cage bird trade. Their striking white plumage has made them a popular choice for their song and beautiful plumage. The bird was listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 1988. It was also threatened by habitat loss due to land conversion to agriculture and settlements. Experts estimated that only six Bali mynahs lived in the wild and thousands were kept in captivity around the world.
The government and BirdLife International, a nongovernmental organization, teamed up to create a captive breeding program.
Breeders can apply for licenses to breed birds. They are granted mynahs from the government, and can keep 90% of their offspring for personal sale. Restricted birds are released at West Bali National Park where they can be monitored and rehabilitated.
This conservation method is compatible in Indonesian culture where cage birds are common and people rely upon the bird trade to make their living. Tom Squires, a Manchester Metropolitan University PhD candidate, explained that the conservation method is compatible with Indonesian culture. He studies Bali mynah ecology as well as other endangered birds in Indonesia.
Squires stated that the national park understood this and created conditions that allowed wild populations to thrive. “Bird-keepers can still keep birds and continue their hobby without causing any real problems for wild population — which I believe is a lot better that species going extinct around the world.”
Mynah’s early releases were fraught with problems. Some birds were infected by a parasite that led to high fledgling mortality and others were killed off by natural predators. Poaching continued, and nearly 40 birds were stolen from the National Park’s Captive Breeding Facility.
Squires stated that conservation efforts have been more successful in the past decade due to increased monitoring of birds and stronger census data.
Agus Krisna Kepakisan is the head of West Bali National Park. She also credits the success of their breeding program to the proliferation and creation of buffer villages around the park. The permits are available for villagers to breed Bali mynahs.
He said, “With the community being breeders… they are helping to take care the birds that exist outside of nature.” “There are still people who used to look for and take Bali mynah out of nature.
Squires stated that there is clear evidence that some birds released have given birth to offspring. He said, “So that leads to me to believe the population is definitely self-sustaining to some extent.”
The park is home to 420 Bali mynahs, Kepakisan said. They now hop about in trees, peek out of bird boxes, and chat with tourists who pass beneath them.
Conservation efforts have been extended to Tabanan Regency, a three-hour drive from Tabanan Park. Here mynahs fly above lush rice fields, framed by mountains or forest.
Friends of the National Parks Foundation (based in Indonesia) recently released the birds from the area. They work with breeders and donors to buy, rehabilitate, and release them.
I Gede Nyoman Bayu Wirayudha a veterinarian who founded the organization, has been involved in Bali mynah conservation since years. He said that the conservation efforts of the organization are based in part on community investment in the birds welfare.
He said that communities living near conservation areas have always believed there was no money to be made. Wirayudha is positive that the presence of rare birds will attract tourists to the area, as it has done in other areas of Bali where mynahs were released.
He said, “You have to give back to the community to feel that conservation brings them benefits.”
It seems that community outreach is working. Groups of students, soldiers, police and other military personnel eagerly watched the mynahs fly into the wild at the April release.