Preventing the Smart Bird from going Extinct

· 3 minutes read

The maleo is a smart bird because it always makes fake nests to fool its predators. Several locations where the birds often lay eggs also indicate there is hot spring nearby.

The bird, which has the Latin name Macrocephalon maleo, is a relative of the Mollucan scrubfowl (Eulipoa wallacei), locally known as burung gosong. In addition to the different color of the feathers, the maleo also has unique characteristics, namely a bony dark casque on the top of the head. Because of the uniqueness of the maleo, Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park (TN BNW) use it for their logo.

Based on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the maleo is classified as endangered. This status is given to species at high risk of extinction. Its population in the wild is estimated at 8,000 to 14,000.

"The biggest threats are from natural predators, such as monitor lizards and snakes. However, the threat from illegal hunting is also still high," Mobius Tanari, a maleo researcher from Tadulako University, Palu, told the Kompas Wallace Expedition Team.

To reduce the threat of predators, the maleo always builds an average of two to three nests. One of the nests is the original nest containing eggs. The eggs are buried in sand or sandy soil at a depth of 60 to 70 centimeters. Male and female maleo will take turns digging holes or burying the eggs with sand.

"They need a temperature of 32 to 36 degrees Celsius so that the eggs can hatch. The lump on the maleo’s head is thought to measure the temperature of the soil," said Mobius.

Various parties are trying to protect this ingenious bird from the threat of extinction. TN BNW national park, for example, collaborated with a number of partners to establish the Suaka Maleo Tambun Sanctuary in Boolang Mongondow regency, North Sulawesi. Their partners are the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Enhancing the Protected Area System in Sulawesi (EPASS), a non-profit organization engaged in conservation.

"Since 2001, around 4,000 maleo eggs have hatched in the Suaka Maleo Tambun," said the head of the TN BNW Dumoga Timur-Lolayan, Max Welly Lela, who also served at the Suaka Maleo Tambun Sanctuary.

Regarding the private sector, conservation of maleo birds in Central Sulawesi is carried out by PT Donggi Senoro LNG, a company engaged in processing natural gas into liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Banggai regency. The maleo conservation center was established in 2013. As of now, as many as 85 maleo birds have been released to the Bakiriang Marine Sanctuary in Banggai regency.

"One of the objectives of establishing a maleo conservation center by companies is to increase the maleo population in the wild," said Donggi Senoro LNG Corporate Social Responsibility program officer Amal Fatullah Randy.

Maleo and various species of birds in general have a vital role in an ecosystem. An article entitled "Why we need birds (far more than they need us)" on the BirdLife International page, (4/1/2019), mentions some of the important roles of birds in nature. Their roles include being pest controllers, helping pollination, helping spread seeds and being a source of inspiration for science.

The theory of natural selection as a result of Wallace\'s thoughts began when he crossed from Bali to Lombok from June to July 1856. To his colleague in Englang, Samuel Stevens, he wrote even though Bali and Lombok had similar land height and climate, the type of birds on the two islands were very different. Later, this uniqueness inspired Wallace to come up with the theory of natural selection.(OKA/ENG/APO)

Editor:

naranasrullah

kompascetak maleo Wildlife Conservation Society enhancing the protected area system in sulawesi international union for conservation of nature