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ENPASAR: Five Bali starlings were released back to the wildlife of the Nusa Penida islet on Monday, bringing the small isle’s current population of the endangered birds to over 100.

The birds were born in the wildlife of Nusa Penida six months ago and have been raised at the Begawan Foundation’s breeding center in Sibang Kaja village, Badung regency.

“They are now healthy and are considered to be ready to adapt life in the wild. We will perform daily monitoring on them after their release,” said Ridha Mubdi Annafi Setiawan of the Begawan Foundation, which was founded by Bradley and Deborah Gardner in 1999 focusing on the conservation of the endangered Bali Starling, the official mascot of Bali since 1991.

Local and overseas black market demands led to a drastic decrease in the starling’s population.

At one point, it was estimated that there were only 16 birds left in the wild. The conservation efforts started as the Gardner couple brought two Starling pairs from the United Kingdom back to the Island of Gods.

Bali Natural Resource Conservation Agency (BKSDA) estimates that Bali is now home to around 300 starlings, with around 100 of them on the Nusa Penida islet while most of the remaining starlings reside in the West Bali national park.