TEMPO.CO, Bogor - The Minister for Forestry and the Environments, Siti Nurbaya, has released 40 white jalak bird, or also known as the black-winged starlings (Sturnus melanopterus), at the Indonesian Safari Reserves, which is a part of the Mount Gede-Pangrango National Park. The critically-endangered birds were released as a part of an event that was held to celebrate the International Environment Day.
"The Ministry had also released 22 cockatoos in the forests of Papua - some of them have laid eggs. Hopefully, they can continue to breed," Minsiter Nurbaya said.
The black-winged starlings are endemic to the islands of Java, Bali and West Nusa Tenggara. The critically-endangered species is protected under Law No. 7/199 on the Preservation of Flora and Faunas - as well as Law No. 5/1994, which categorised the species as 'critically-endangered. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has also placed the black-winged starlings under its' red list, as the species is facing a real threat of extinction due to habitat destruction as well as illegal poaching.
Minister Nurbaya said that her Ministry, along with 37 conservation agencies are actively involved in the enforcement of laws relating to habitat preservation, as well as the breeding of protected species. Furthermore, at the event Minister Nurbaya instructed the Ministry's Director General for Law Enforcement to step up their efforts to ensure that laws relating to the preservation of rare and endangered flora and fauna are observed and enforced.
"We wish to convey our gratitude as our efforts have been welcomed by the general public, who seem to be more aware of the need to preserve Indonesia's rare and protected species," she said. "Every day, we receive tips and leads from members of the public about the illegal sales of protected species - and we hope such vigilance will continue as it will greatly assist our efforts to preserve our natural riches."
TSI's Director, Tony Sumampau said that in addition to having a well-preserved natural habitat that is well-managed to ensure the needs of recently-released species to proliferate can be met, the Reserve also has an abundance of human resources to ensure species' security after they are released into the wild. "The black-winged starlings are technically extinct in the wild - what remains are breeding pairs from captivities that have been returned into their original habitat," he said.
Prior to the release of the starlings, TSI have socialised the release of the birds to local residents residing in five villages across two districts in the immediate vicinity of the Reserve, as well as disseminated educational materials to schools that are located near the Reserve. "This is necessary to ensure that local residents are aware of the existence and the significance of the species," said Tony.
At the occasion, Minister Nurbaya also handed over an orangutan and as well as a number of rare parrots to conservation agencies - as well as the Giring, a Sumatran tiger. "The orangutan was rescued in Thailand and have been successfully repatriated to Indonesia - but it has spent too much time in captivity that it may not be able to survive in the wild," she said.
"Meanwhile, the parrots were rescued by local residents - but due to their ailing health, cannot be released to the wild," continued Nurbaya.
Giring, continued Nurbaya, is a Sumatran tiger that were rescued in Bengkulu, and will be kept by the Sumatran Centre for Tiger Conservation due to its' history of encroaching areas populated by humans. "It's current health conditions meant that for the time being, it cannot be released into the wild," finished Nurbaya.
M SIDIK PERMANA