Birds

This bird is the official mascot of Jakarta and was found in large numbers. Now the bird has completely disappeared from the area. Only a small population still lives very widely throughout the archipelago. This is due to illegal hunting: people like to keep these birds as cage birds. After they have been seized or rejected by their owners, they will receive a re-education from us. Without rehabilitation, these beautiful species will become extinct.

On Kotok Island, about 60 raptors learn to hunt for fish again in enclosures between trees and above the sea. If we succeed, we will release them with a GPS tracker. They usually stay nearby until they really fly out. Most of them are able to return to normal life: they find a partner and start nesting. Some birds are no longer able to live on their own, usually because they are permanently mutilated. Together with Thousands Islands National Park, we built enclosures in the most natural way possible. This way, the birds that stay at least feel at home.

Promoting awareness in Indonesia is an important part of the recovery. Wildlife Watchdogs gives public lectures, we visit schools and watch birds to get the local population involved with nature. For example, we hope that residents, civil society organizations and government agencies will cooperate in the long-term maintenance of the Brahminy kite.

At Pulau Kotok Besar, we are working on preserving the coral reef. This is where the perfect living conditions can be found for the Brahminy kite: a reef in good condition and an abundance of fish.

Sumatra Wildlife Center

The songbird trade is responsible for losing songbirds from the Sumatran wilderness, all illegally poached. Thousands of birds are smuggled out of Sumatra monthly, and we regularly confiscate large numbers of these birds at the harbors where we work with the sniffer dog units. We have received almost 3000 birds in one confiscation once. Its shows the large amounts of animals we deal with, all in need of a quick recovery and release back into the wild. The species traded here vary, but we mostly deal with blue-winged leafbirds.