NTT BKSDA Releases 1,000 Birds into the Wild in West Manggarai

Kupang (ANTARA) - The Balai Besar Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam (BBKSDA) of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) has released 1,000 Pleci birds or Kacamata Laut (Zosterops chloris) into the wild after thwarting their transport onto a ship at the Wae Kelambu Multipurpose Port in Labuan Bajo.

“They were released into the open wild last Saturday after being intercepted on Friday at Wae Kelambu Port in Labuan Bajo,” said Head of BBKSDA NTT Adhi Nurul Hadi when contacted in Kupang on Monday.

He explained that the release of the birds took place in the Nggorang Bowosie Protected Forest, located in Komodo Subdistrict, West Manggarai Regency.

The release process involved various parties, including the local government, community groups, the Indonesian National Police (Polri), and the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL).

In addition to the Pleci birds, Flores Kancilan birds (Pachycephala nudigula) and Pied Bush Chats (Saxicola caprata) were also released into the wild.

Meanwhile, regarding the perpetrator with the initials MS who was apprehended, he said that the individual is currently under examination by the relevant authorities.

However, according to the perpetrator’s confession, the birds were obtained from his own catches and some were purchased from local communities in the Maumere area, Sikka Regency.

When discovered, the birds were stored in cardboard boxes and bird cages, transported using a truck that was boarding a sea vessel heading to Surabaya, East Java.

The birds were intended to be resold at bird markets in the Surabaya region at prices of Rp12,000 per Kacamata Laut bird, Rp50,000 per Pied Bush Chat, and Rp550,000 per Flores Kancilan bird.

This release aims to save all the secured individuals, increase populations in the wild, and serve as an educational process to enhance public awareness.