Bali's most famous bird is also its most elusive. In 1993, there were only 34 Bali Starlings (Leucopsar rothschildi) left in the wild in Bali, and at last count that number has dwindled to 16, including 10 released by the Governor of Bali on December 24, 2001. The species is highly endangered. Ironically, there are probably several thousand Bali Starlings languishing in cages outside of Bali.
The Bali Starling could be as common in your garden as the pigeon if captive breeding programs were encouraged. The glossy little white bird breeds freely in captivity, even thriving in outdoor aviaries in the English winter. Three known breeding programs in Bali have had varying degrees of success.
Bradley Gardner, owner of Begawan Giri Estate, has long been intrigued by the paradox of this artificially rare bird. In 1999 he began to set the wheels in motion to import and breed the Bali Starling. Drh Bayu Wirayudha, a veterinarian specializing in birds, helped him start the captive breeding program. They decided to introduce a new bloodline by bringing in two breeding pairs from England. The Bali Starling is strictly protected and the draconian paperwork took over four months to complete. The four birds required an export permit from England, an import permit from Indonesia, a CITES permit and permits to keep and breed the birds in Bali.
The Starlings arrived in June of 1999 and initially Bayu kept the genders separate until they could acclimatize. Both pairs had already bred successfully in England. As soon as they were put together they began to breed, with the first chick hatching in December 1999. Since then almost 60 chicks have hatched from clutches of one to four eggs, with more than 40 surviving. Attacks by parents and ants and infections are common causes of infant mortality in captivity. In ideal conditions, the birds will produce between one and four chicks several times a year. They start breeding well at about 18 months and can be productive for 10 years.
Technically, all Bali Starlings belong to the government until the second generation bred in captivity, and the government can claim back the birds at any time. "It's a situation where the species is protected but the individuals are not," explains Bayu. Every Bali Starling hatched at the Estate is meticulously documented, including a closed band and certificate, even past the second generation.
The Begawan Giri Foundation Bali Starling Recovery Project was established in 2001. The Starlings live in spacious aviaries and flourish on a wide variety of organic fruits and vegetables from the Estate's permaculture gardens and farm, embellished with ant eggs, meal worms and other delicacies.
Some Bali Starling experts feel that West Bali is its optimum habitat. But this area has disadvantages, especially during the dry season. Limited food and water restrict Starling reproduction. The dry season also gives a strong advantage to poachers, who set up their traps near rare water and food sources. The fact that the bird breeds freely in Begawan's high, wet location and even in the chill of England suggests that this is a hardy specimen that would thrive all over Bali if allowed to do so.
The Bali Starling breeding program in Bali Barat National Park had 59 birds as of October 2001, counting the 10 recently released. Since 1999 it has bred 73 birds. Of these, 23 died and 40 were stolen. The Park obtains many of its Bali Starlings from Indonesian zoos and parks and confiscations in Bali. No one seems to know what happens to Bali Starlings confiscated in Java. Illegal trade in Bali Starlings is rampant, with each bird fetching 10 to 15 million rupiah on the black market. Captive breeding programs at Bali Barat National Park and Bali Bird Park have both experienced robberies of their Bali Starlings. Twice in the last two years the breeding aviaries at the National Park were invaded by gangs of men with machine guns and bombs, and about 30 birds were stolen. Starlings have also disappeared from Surabaya Zoo. The Governor of Bali released 10 Starlings into the National Park on December 24th 2001, but one wonders how long they will survive there. Hopefully the Park will improve its security systems to ensure that these birds are not poached. Birds bred in captivity are particularly easy to capture.
Like everything else in Indonesia, the issue is all about money. If Bali Starlings were widely bred in captivity collectors could buy the birds legally and they could also be released back into the wild, allowing natural populations to grow. With Bali Starlings legally available, the pressure on the wild population would disappear. For some reason there seems to be resistance to captive breeding programs in Bali. Permits are very difficult to obtain. There are several breeding facilities in Java but only the Bali Barat National Park and Begawan Giri Foundation are actively breeding the Bali Starling in Bali. The Bali Bird Park has 13 birds, but has not been successful in breeding them since 1997.
There's a valid precedent to the captive breeding strategy. The Zebra Dove (Geophelia striata) or Singing Dove was highly prized by Indonesian bird hobbyists. Traditionally a Javanese hobby, keeping the birds then became popular with the Chinese who saw owning a singing dove as a good investment. Captured birds were traded for up to a billion rupiah each. But captive breeding programs quickly filled demand and have produced birds of higher quality, undercutting the market for wild birds. The market for the Singing Dove, which was never legally protected, is now being supplied entirely by breeders and birds are no longer taken from the wild.
Bradley and Bayu are preparing a proposal inviting several other leading hotels along the Ayung River to undertake breeding programs too. Perhaps after several years of local education and building up strong stocks of birds, the Ayung Valley could become a release area. This would bring tremendous benefits in terms of eco-tourism. Bird watchers would flock from all over the world to watch the Bali Starling in its natural habitat, and apossible sighting would be an added incentive to river rafters. Of course it would be essential to initiate educational programs for local people along release areas in Bali before any such program begins. Some of the most successful wildlife rehabilitation programs have turned poachers into rangers and eco-tourism guides, profiting from the creatures they once hunted.
With years of experience at the Bali Bird Park and later at Begawan Giri Estate, Bayu is probably now the most successful breeder of Bali Starlings in the world. "I am happy to help anyone who wants to start up a breeding program," he says. "I look forward to a day when the Bali Starling is a common sight in every garden, and Balinese children can enjoy this unique part of their heritage."
