Bali Starling

These beautiful birds are so rare I thought I would share three pictures .

The Bali Starling is a native of, yes you guessed it Bali where they are critically endangered. I knew very little about them until I spoke with a keeper at Chester Zoo who told me about the conservation program at the Zoo. In 2005 there were just 5 pairs of these birds in the wild in Bali but following a captive breeding program Chester Zoo and others were able to release birds into the wild taking the population up to 500 which was a promising start to help the preservation of the species. Sadly greed has resulted in a further decline in numbers to around 100 birds thanks to poachers who take the birds for private collectors. It really is so sad that some people have so little respect for nature that they would risk the total demise of a whole species. 

I know that there are many people who dislike zoos for keeping animals in captivity but the Bali Starling is a great example of the value of zoo breeding programs.