Max Welly Lela, Turning Maleos from Myth to Reality
Max Welly Lela, 55, spends his days with the maleo. His "love" began when he casually applied for a job at the Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park. Today, Max is an expert on managing maleo nesting centers in Sulawesi.
Born in 1964 in Kota Menara village of East Amurang, South Minahasa, the maleo (Megacephalon maleo) seemed almost myth-like for little Max. His parents often told him stories that in the past, maleo were common in the village located north of Mount Soputan.
The birds are also widespread along the north coast of Amurang. "Now, the maleo is just a story in South Minahasa," Max said on Wednesday (22/5/2019) during an interview at the Tambun Maleo Sanctuary in Bolaang Mongondow.
Max, who is currently the head of the Dumoga Timur-Lolayan Resort at the Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park (TNBNW), began working at the nature preserve in 1983, when it was still called the Bolaang Mongondow conservation area.
He began to develop close ties with the maleo in 1985, when he was as signed for two years to assist Dutch researcher Rene Dekker of the World Wildlife Fund to observe the maleo in what is now the Maleo Tambun Sanctuary in Dumoga Timur-Lolayan Resort.
Back then, the maleo population was still high in the Dumoga Valley, which is now part of the TNBNW. "Every afternoon, there were always maleos perched in the trees. My job was to observe the bird’s behavior, collect eggs during the day and measure the temperature in the spots where the maleo laid eggs," recalled Max.
After a transfer that lasted a few years, Max returned to the Tambun Maleo Sanctuary in 1998 to assist a Japanese television station make a maleo documentary. In 2001, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) became a partner of the TNBNW in maleo conservation.
Curiosity
Max’s knowledge of the maleo was deepening, but his curiosity was also growing bigger. Apart from the researches he carried out, he continued to observe the behavior of the maleo, especially in egg-laying. Max realized that maleo eggs were always found buried in bare patches under trees.
"Because of that, I cut down the grass at nesting sites. I deliberately dug holes to lure them to lay their eggs there, and it turned out to be very effective," he said.
Based on his observations, Max identified which hole held eggs. The rocks around these holes were spattered with earth. He also knows how deep a maleo will dig to ensure that the temperature in the hold is around 32-37 degrees Celsius. This has become his reference for setting the depth of the holes in the maleo nesting cage.
He also relied on his observations to determine the composition of the maleo feed in the conservation area. Max saw that the maleo liked the candlenuts, melinjo (Gnetum gnemon) and kluwak (Pangium edule) that grew in the conservation forest. He gathered these nuts and seeds every day to distribute around the nesting area. "So, the sanctuary is not only a place for the maleo to lay eggs, but also a place to feed," he said.
He gathered these nuts and seeds every day to distribute around the nesting area.
For the 24 maleos that were kept in a habituation cage, Max placed a decayed bough inside. The termites and caterpillars that live in decayed wood are a source of protein for the maleo.
"Fruit is also deliberately provided as feed, sometimes hidden under leaves. This is done to help them maintain their behavior in the wild, even though they are in a cage," he said.
Max has taken these measures purely from mere observation, without referring to any specific instructions or particular scientific methods. His efforts were successful. Since 2001, around 4,000 maleo eggs have hatched at the Tambun Maleo Sanctuary. The young maleo are released back into the forest after they are two to three months old.
The maleo quarantine enclosure has never been used, because the maleo at the Tambun Maleo Sanctuary have never been sick. Max strictly monitors anything the birds consume at the sanctuary. The drinking water in the habituation cage and baby maleo cages is always replaced every other day to prevent the growth of bacteria.
Max has never thought twice about ensuring quality life for the maleo. He has set aside tens of millions of his salary from the Tambun Maleo Sanctuary to buy food plants and build observation points for the maleo.
Fortunately, the Rp 750,000 the park provides under the resort management (RBM) mechanism for civil servants (ASN) was enough to fulfill his financial needs. "As long as the daily needs and the children’s school needs are not disrupted, I don\'t mind [focusing on] the maleo," he said.
His colleagues at the TNBNW also said that Max was an expert on the maleo, even though he had no university degree. In 2013, he co-presented the results of the park’s maleo breeding program with TNBNW head Agustinus Rante Lembang to the then-environment and forestry minister, Zulkifli Hasan.
Since then, other maleo nesting centers like those in Lore Lindu and Saluki (Central Sulawesi) and Tompotika (South Sulawesi) have conducted comparative studies at the Tambun Maleo Sanctuary. The Palu Natural Resource Conservation Center in Central Sulawesi also visited Max to learn about the maleo. A total of 16,170 maleo have hatched and been released in Sulawesi from 2001 to March 2019.
"What I did was just part of my day-to-day job. It\'s normal, not an achievement. But, I personally gain great satisfaction," he said.
Regeneration
Max is now 55. He is worried that no one will continue his hard work after he retires in three years. The TNBNW has many employees, but not everyone wants to devote their efforts to the maleo.
In the early 2000s before the WCS partnered with the park, the theft of maleo eggs was widespread. The officers before Max were not strict about collecting the eggs, either.
"The TNBNW wants community groups to manage the maleo conservation program. Because of this, someone must take up my knowledge so that it is not in vain. I offered wide opportunities to anyone who wanted to learn about the maleo and other animals for free, but only two or three people came," he said.
Some of the people were unconfident because of their limited knowledge and lack of English. Others were skeptical about the income to be made from managing a bird sanctuary manager. Max has kept trying to encourage them from various perspectives, including financial.
Time was growing short, but Max has not lost hope. He did not want the story of the maleo in Bolaang Mongondow to end up like his birthplace in Minahasa: just a myth.
"I don\'t want the maleo to be a mere story to my grandchildren," said Max, who has transformed the myth behind the habits of Sulawesi’s maleo into a reality.
Max Welly Lela
Born: Kota Menara village, Amurang Timur, South Minahasa, March 9, 1964 Education:
- “Package C” informal education, Ahmad Yani, Kotamobagu (2005)
- SMAN Kawangkoan, South Minahasa (incomplete)
- SMPN Tompaso, South Minahasa (1976-1979)
- SD GMIM Pinabetengan, Tompaso, South Minahasa (1970-1976)
Wife: Diane Kawengian, 53
Children: Ramanda Lela, 33, Rawinda Lela, 32, Trintamida Lela, 30