Like every year, the list of species considered extinct grows, as well as those that are about to do so. Some are emblematic, but others are unknown. This is the case of the Bali Miná or also known as 'Bali starling', a bird endemic to this island that survives thanks to individuals reproduced in conservation centers that work in programs such as BIOPARC Fuengirola and to individual reintroduction projects. launched in their natural habitat. It has been listed as 'Critically Endangered' by the IUCN Red List for 20 years and for years its population in the wild has not exceeded twenty individuals.

This small bird with white plumage, yellow beak and blue mask was discovered in 1910, a date on which records estimated a population that did not exceed 900 individuals. Since this discovery, their population and distribution have decreased drastically and, now, the census is less than 50 and they are only found in an area of ​​just 38 km2, in the Bali Barat National Park.

“The latest studies indicate that the loss of habitat along with the capture of birds are the main causes of disappearance of individuals. This makes it a fundamental role in their conservation to provide them with nesting places that replace the loss of natural cavities"explains Antonio Garrucho, head of Zoology and bird coordinator at BIOPARC Fuengirola.

Its attractive appearance and ability to imitate sounds are some of the reasons for its uncontrolled hunting and coveted value in the pet market.

They are beautiful, intelligent birds that enthusiastically imitate songbirds as well as random noises and can even master a large human vocabulary. They rival parrots as imitators, hence their popularity as cage birds.

“Something curious is that these birds sing both the males and the females, something that usually in other species of passerines only the males do to conquer the females. The couple sings and dances at their inn in unison, thus reinforcing their ties and letting their fellow humans know that that territory is occupied,” Garrucho highlights.

Transformation, habitat reduction, and over-trapping for the pet trade led to the species on the brink of extinction in the 1980s.

The continuous decrease in the wild population has made it necessary, on repeated occasions, to reintroduce individuals into their natural habitats with the mission of recovering the size of their population and, consequently, avoiding their extinction in the natural environment.

Currently, the myna not only has a conservation program within the EAZA, in which BIOPARC Fuengirola participates, but it is also included in Appendix I of CITES. Furthermore, in 1991 the Bali starling was designated a symbol of the fauna of Bali, its local name is jalak bali. This led to increased efforts to recover it. It is so famous that it appears on the Indonesian 200 rupee coin.

Reintroduction projects into their natural habitat are added to the conservation programs coordinated by international institutions. “There are currently several projects underway, and many others that have already been completed. The government of the Island, local and foreign universities and a multitude of organizations participate to a greater or lesser extent in the in-situ and/or ex-situ conservation of the species.”

Working on the conservation of the Bali mynah

BIOPARC Fuengirola is home to this emblematic, but unknown species since its beginnings and now you can see a pair of which they hope to achieve successful reproduction soon. It is one of the two animal parks that works on the conservation of this species in Andalusia and one of the four in Spain.

Along with this program, the Malaga conservation center participates in almost forty more EEPs coordinated by EAZA with which they protect species such as the Malayan tapir, the Sumatran tiger, the western lowland gorilla, the Bornean orangutan, the red panda or the Komodo dragon, among others.