Stork, heron populations on the rise in Kerinci

A colony of storks and herons, the main tourism attraction of Kerinci Regency, Jambi, is growing well, thanks to local farmers’ efforts to protect them, a local official says.

While the birds were previously hunted for their meat, locals now protect them because the large birds help them manage grasshoppers and other insects that destroy their paddies, Jambi Indonesian Tourist Guides Association head Guntur said Monday.

Ten years ago there were only a few thousand of the birds, known locally as kuntul, and hundreds of brown bangau birds. Now their population has doubled or even tripled, he said.

The beautiful birds are easily spotted on paddies, especially during the harvest season, making a unique sight that has long become a tourist attraction in the area.

Kerinci is an area where birds, including storks and herons, from the north migrate to the south during the cold season.