Approaches to the reintroduction of the Bali mynah

✍ Scribed by Mark S. Collins; Thomas B. Smith; Robert E. Seibels; I Made Wedana Adi Putra

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 148 KB
• Volume: 17
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0733-3188
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1098-2361(1998)17:4<267::aid-zoo2>3.0.co;2-7

✦ Synopsis

The Bali mynah (Leucopsar rothschildi) is an endangered bird endemic to the island of Bali, Indonesia. The wild population of approximately 17 birds is confined to West Bali National Park (Taman Nasional Bali Barat). The species was intensively collected for the bird trade in the 1960s and 1970s, and poaching for the internal trade in Indonesia remains the primary threat to the wild population. We conducted an experimental release of one captive-bred and five confiscated, wild origin Bali mynahs on the small offshore island Pulau Menjangan. Released birds readily developed flight and foraging skills. Of the six, radio-tagged birds released, one was stolen, three were likely killed by a raptor, and two were returned successfully to the wild. Many challenges remain for the conservation of this species, including poaching in the national park, disease in the captive population, predation by raptors on newly released birds, and destruction of essential habitat. Results suggest that the Bali mynah is a suitable species for an expanded propagation and release program, provided that poaching is curtailed and disease in birds intended for release can be eliminated.