Bali starling flirts with extinction in the wild

By Stevie Emilia

JAKARTA (JP): Bali has long been famous for its natural beauty, but only few people know that the symbol of the island's fauna, the Bali starling, one of the world's rarest birds, has been on the verge of extinction in the wild for the last 10 years.

In 1990, the Bali starling population in the wild was reportedly only 14 birds. Within two years, that number rose to 50 thanks to extensive conservation efforts.

However, a 1997/1998 survey showed that the bird's population had fallen back to 14. This number is critically small considering a wild population of 150 is needed to be considered at a safe level.

"What we fear most is that the Bali starling will become extinct just like the Balinese tiger," the species program officer for BirdLife International Indonesia, Iwan Setiawan, told The Jakarta Post.

According to The Encyclopedia of Mammals, three of the eight subspecies of tigers, including the Balinese tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica), have become extinct in the past 100 years. Two of the remaining five subspecies, the Sumatran and the Javan tigers, are found in Indonesia, and environmentalists are working hard to save them.

In an effort to prevent the Bali starling from meeting the same fate as the Balinese tiger, a team comprising representatives from the Ministry of Forestry's Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PHPA), the BirdLife program and the Bali Barat National Park, in consultation with other agencies and individuals, recently launched a recovery program for the Bali starling and two other bird species.

The three species in the program are the Bali starling (Leucopsar rothschildi), the Javan hawk (Spizaetus bartelsi) and the Yellow-Crested cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea). At present, these birds are considered critically endangered species.

"We selected the three species based on priority, such as the threatening factors and the legal status of the species," said Iwan.

For the Bali starling, the recovery program is based on experience gained during the Bali starling project from 1987 to 1994 involving the PHPA, the BirdLife program, the national park and the American Association of Zoos.

He said that the Bali starling, which can now only be found in the wild at the 19,000-hectare Bali Barat National Park in Gilimanuk, was selected because its population had decreased by over 80 percent in 10 years.

The Bali starling -- a white bird with black wings and tail tips and blue facial skin -- is now both nationally and internationally protected. According to The Ecology of Java and Bali, the crested bird was first discovered in 1911.

It was first classified as an endangered species in the World Conservation Union's Red Data Book, which contains a list of endangered species worldwide, in 1966. It was included in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora in 1970. Indonesia signed the convention in 1978.

The Bali starling is protected under Minister of Agriculture decree No. 421/1970 and government regulation No. 5/1990 on the conservation of living resources and their ecosystems. Those found in illegal possession of the species will be fined up to Rp 100 million or face five years imprisonment.

Decree

The government, through Minister of Forestry decree No. 310/1991, also requires the registration of all protected animals in public possession.

However, all these laws and regulations are little more than pieces of paper. In reality, the endangered species trade still exists, even in public places.

The Bali starling, which usually lives in groups and breeds during the rainy season, is a very precious commodity to poachers -- especially after the bird's popularity rose when it was declared the symbol of Bali's fauna in 1991.

Iwan said that according to a recent report, Bali starlings were being sold for Rp 10 million in Bandung. For foreign buyers, the bird may even sell for US$2,000 each, he added.

"Poaching is the most serious problem threatening the bird's existence. It's illegal, but it is the demand for Bali starlings which motivates the poachers to capture the birds. Many people want it not only because of its beauty but also because they think that owning the bird brings status and prestige," he said.

According to The Ecology of Java and Bali, published in 1996, it was estimated that over 360 captive Bali starlings were registered in Jakarta alone and several thousand of the birds, mostly the results of captive-breeding, were kept overseas.

Iwan said that the poachers were becoming increasingly sophisticated and well-equipped. They also appeared to be well- informed of guard movements and shift changes, he added.

Conscientious patrols could reduce poaching activities, but the 40 guards at the national park do not seem to be highly motivated in performing their duties, according to Iwan. Yet, Iwan does not entirely blame the guards for their low motivation.

Among other factors for the guards' lack of motivation, Iwan noted that few poachers and people illegally possessing the bird were prosecuted, the guards' low wages, and limited support for the guards' work, such as poorly equipped posts and limited fresh water.

He said that stricter guarding of the national park would result in a rapid population expansion of the Bali starling, which, under favorable climatic conditions, was not difficult to breed.

Bali starlings have two or occasionally three clutches of up to three eggs in a favorable wet season, and raise two or three young per clutch.

Apart from poaching, several other factors have also contributed to the decline of the Bali starling population. Among these factors are limited supplies of drinking water -- making the birds dependent on dew from the leaves of trees -- and a reduction of nest trees due to logging. The birds are reluctant to breed in artificial nest sites provided by park officials.

The bird also faces a threat from natural predators, such as snakes and lizards, and Toxoplasmosis -- a disease which results in a higher mortality rate among chicks.

However, the recovery program is expected to bring a significant increase to the wild Bali starling population.

Among the programs activities to raise the wild Bali starling population is the release of captive-bred birds into the wild -- although only a very few of the released birds are expected to survive.

The recovery program also plans to strictly guard the wild population. This includes installing alarm systems, prosecuting arrested poachers and reducing the demand for wild Bali starlings by providing alternative sources for the birds, such as encouraging and regulating breeders and developing sources of captive-bred birds for sale.

"We hope to restore the Bali starling population in the wild to 40 by the year 2000 and to at least 150 by 2005. But to reach this goal, we need the support of everyone, especially the Balinese," Iwan said.