T

he government has encouraged the involvement of local breeders in the preservation of Bali starlings (Leucopsar rothschildi), as efforts to raise the endangered bird in natural wildlife environments have been impeded by a range of difficulties.

Environment and Forestry Ministry director general for ecosystem and natural resource conservation Tachrir Fathoni said that ongoing efforts to release Bali starlings, also known as Bali mynah, to its natural habitat in the West Bali National Park had failed to significantly increase numbers due to the high number of predators and the absence of sufficient food sources.

The weather in the national park, according to Tachrir, is also currently too dry for young Bali starlings to grow properly.

With such difficulties, local breeders in Bali, Tachrir said, would play a major role in helping to conserve the rare bird, a species native to the resort island.

'€œWe must also maintain the genetic quality of the bird by avoiding in-breeding. So, it will be very good if breeders can supply mature Bali starlings that can be released [into the wild],'€ Tachrir said recently at the opening of the Bali Mynah International Workshop in Gianyar regency, Bali.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed Bali starling as a critically endangered species since 1994.

A series of release programs have gradually increased the population of the birds living in natural habitats to around 200 from only five in 2004.

Separately, Association of Bali Starling Conservationists (APCB) chairman Tony Sumampau said that the population of Bali starlings currently stood at around 3,000, including those kept by local breeders.

Ida Dalem Semaraputra, a local community leader, applauded the involvement of local breeders in preserving Bali starling.

'€œSince the bird comes from Bali, it is very good if the number of breeders on the island is higher than those in other parts of the country,'€ he said.