Nusa Penida Bird Sanctuary

West Bali National Park is not the only conservation spot for Bali Starling, now; Nusapenida is a home of a hundred these nearly-extinct birds. Nusa Penida Bird Sanctuary is a new reservation spot for Bali Starling organized by Begawan Giri Foundation, and Friend of National Park Foundation with the support of the whole Nusa Penida’s community.

In this island the birds is protected by the whole community of Nusapenida, by addition of a decree on bird conservation in the awig-awig (traditional law) of Nusa Penida. The community enforces sanctions such as fines and sepekin banjar (ostracized) for anyone caught harming the birds. All 35 villages on Nusa Penida island have now signed bird protection laws and villages and Harbour Authorities are working together to fight the illicit trade. The role of community is not just end up there, at the sanctuary young people from the surrounding village are trained as staff in the clinic; bird handling and research procedures.

The infrastructures in Nusa Penida Bird Sanctuary can accommodate birds such as the Bali Starling; the Javan Sparrow, the Hornbill and the Lesser Crested Sulphur Cockatoo:

1. Quarantine Station which accommodates a maximum of 100 individual birds

2. Office, Resource and Information Room currently being used as the library, conservation education and meeting room; it can hold 40 to 50 people.

3. Clinic and Laboratories are constructed but not yet commissioned as a laboratory; will mainly act as the isolation and treatment room for any bird with a medical problem.

4. Socialization /Rehabilitation Cage: 20m long, 10m wide and 10m high, located on the side of the biggest forest in Nusa Penida (the Tembeling forest of approx. 250 Ha). A second socialization cage (3m high, 5m wide and 20m long) is planned to accommodate birds that have been in captivity for a longer period yet may not be able to fly properly.

5. Dormitory used to accommodate staff and visitors.

6. Forest Nursery which is used to support the habitat rehabilitation currently can produce up to 300.000 seedlings.

Up to May 2007 Nusa penida Bird Sanctuary has already released 49 Bali Starlings, and recently it is reported another ten offspring fly free. The success on the Bali Starling opens another conservation project. White Cockatoo, an indigenous species of Nusa Penida, now in danger, it is reported that only three white cockatoos roaming freely on the sky, clearly in worse situation than Bali Starling. Nusa Penida Bird Sanctuary now put her best effort to save this rare bird.

Source:blog.baliwww.com

Posted in: Interested Place