Breeder takes peacocks under his wing

Bambang M., Contributor, Yogyakarta

At times, luck plays an important role in one's success. And Sudartomo believes luck has contributed the most to his success in breeding the rare green peacock in captivity.

The success of the 62-year-old resident of Siliran, Yogyakarta, is good news for conservationists and bird lovers since the green peacock (Pavo muticus) -- famous for its beautiful feathers -- is a protected species. According to the World Conservation Union, it is listed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna Appendix II as a species vulnerable to extinction.

The bird is hard to find in its natural habitat in Java and is estimated to number about 1,000 in the wild. It is also hard to breed. Generally, in its natural habitat, it only produces three young birds a year, and even if male and female peacocks are placed in the same enclosure there is no guarantee they will mate. The species also requires a spacious enclosure and easily dies of stress.

Because of this only a handful of breeders have been able to breed the species in captivity. In a paper titled Conserving Peacocks in Their Natural Habitat by Empowering the Local Community, presented in Bogor last July, experts Atiek Larasati and Maman Soeparman said there were only two green peacock breeders in East Java.

With Sudartomo's success, there's at least one more green peacock breeder.

"I'm just lucky," said the man. "But I do it because I love the bird."

Sudartomo never formally studied how to breed the rare species, but arrived at his success through a lot of hard work.

It all started with a simple wish, to own the beautiful bird. He bought a couple of adult green peacocks illegally in 1999 but they died. So he went and bought a couple of young birds but they died too.

Not giving up hope, Sudartomo bought two more adult peacocks in 2001 at the price of Rp 2 million for the male and Rp 1 million for the female.

To his relief, the new birds survived and, as a bonus, the couple mated.

"One day around noon, I heard loud bird-like cries coming from the male peacock and it turned out they were mating," Sudartomo recalled. The mating period took place somewhere between August and September last year.

Sudartomo hastily prepared a special nesting and hatching place. The female laid its eggs in early October, not, however, in the prepared nest but right there where she perched. As a result, the first four eggs fell and broke when they hit the ground.

Learning from his mistake, Sudartomo placed a soft sack underneath where the female peacock perched to prevent the next eggs from falling and breaking.

"When the female wants to lay eggs, it becomes very restless," he said.

And his efforts were successful. Within a month, the female had laid a total of 26 eggs. In its natural habitat, the species usually produces up to five eggs every breeding period, or within one year's time.

But the female refused to sit on its eggs, so Sudartomo prepared a hatching box. After placing the eggs in the box for four weeks, they hatched.

"I was very happy," Sudartomo said with beaming eyes.

For the next two months, the young peacocks were carefully tended, warmed by a 20-watt bulb at night and every morning exposed to sunlight.

"Raising green peacocks is similar to raising chickens," said the recipient of an environmental pioneer award from the Yogyakarta administration in 1999.

From the 22 young peacocks, three died. The young peacocks are still separated from the adults. "If they were kept in the same enclosure, the female birds would poke at the young peacocks," Sudartomo explained.

Every day, the peacocks are given special attention by Sudartomo, who cleans up the enclosure and feeds the birds. And the peacocks have a special diet, a mixture of 25 items like cereals, vegetables, rice, tempeh and insects. Each day, Sudartomo spends about Rp 10,000 to feed the peacocks.

Once, a male peacock attacked him while he was cleaning the enclosure, its sharp spur leaving him bleeding from the head. "The male was afraid I was going to disturb the female," joked Sudartomo, a bachelor.

His success in breeding green peacocks in captivity has reached some bird lovers. One of them even offered him Rp 15 million for all of the young birds. Sudartomo, however, flatly refused.

"I have no commercial motivation in doing this ... besides, I'm afraid other people will not take care of the birds the way I do," he said.

Despite his success, Sudartomo is not entirely happy because he failed to get a permit from the Yogyakarta office of the Natural Resources and Conservation Center to raise and breed the species, which is protected under Government Regulation No. 7/1999.

"I went to this center a few years back to apply for the permit, but they refused to give me one," Sudartomo said.

If he is helping to breed an endangered species, shouldn't he get some support?