BKSDA Releases Bali Starlings, Pushes for National Day
The Bali Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) released 12 Bali starlings in the Adat Village of Karang Dalem Tua, Bongkasa Pertiwi Village, Abiansemal, Badung, on Thursday (9/4/2026). This release is a step towards expanding the distribution of the endemic Balinese bird so that it is not concentrated only in the western region of the Island of the Gods.
“Today we successfully released 12 Bali starlings after undergoing a two-week habituation or adaptation process at the location. This activity is an initiative of the Adat Village of Karang Dalem Tua that we have synergised with breeders and conservation institutions,” said the Head of BKSDA Bali, Ratna Hendratmoko.
BKSDA Bali records the current population of Bali starlings at around 600 individuals, most of which are still in the West Bali National Park area. The release in Badung is hoped to expand a new population pocket outside that area.
Professor of Animal Ecology at Udayana University, Luh Putu Eswaryanti Kusuma, stated that the distribution of Bali starlings is beginning to expand to several areas such as Pujungan, Pengudangan, Nusa Penida, and Besikalung.
“We hope that with the increasingly widespread distribution and the continuously increasing number of individuals, in the future the protection status of the Bali Starling can be lowered. Even distribution becomes one of the main indicators of the success of species conservation in the wild,” she said.
Former Hunters Turn to Breeding
The conservation initiative in the Adat Village of Karang Dalem Tua began in 2018 by involving wildlife hunters to switch to becoming breeders. This programme has now produced around 73 Bali starlings from 10 breeders in the Kehati Pertiwi Lestari Group.
“From there we progressed, coordinated with the Professor, then from BKSDA we were supported in the legality process and technical cultivation until now it can develop. At that time we gathered the hunters here, then they committed to breeding,” said the Adat Village Leader, Ida Bagus Gede Manu Drestha.
This success is reinforced by adat rules in the form of awig-awig and pararem that prohibit animal hunting, complete with social and material sanctions for violators.
“Now carrying an air rifle is shameful, because the social sanction of being scorned by the community is very harsh pressure for them. The smallest adat sanction is a material fine of rice, then a higher level is Penyangaskara or apologising in front of the general public,” he concluded.
Pushing for National Bali Starling Day
In addition to the release, BKSDA Bali is also pushing for the establishment of National Bali Starling Day as a form of pride in the endemic animal.
“Because Bali does not yet have any commemoration of the existence of endemic animals in Bali. Hopefully with (the future) establishment of National Bali Starling Day, it will provide inspiration to us all about our pride as Balinese people towards wild animals,” said Ratna.
This proposal will be submitted together with wildlife enthusiast communities to the Governor of Bali, involving various parties through a collaborative approach.
“As soon as possible, if possible tomorrow I will meet with wildlife friends to collectively propose to the Governor, which is better. Informally, I have also conveyed when I was called by the Governor that he strongly supports it,” she said.