The lorikeet's brush-like tongue
Watch the video on the right or below to see for yourself how it works!
Bird-trapping in Indonesia – when the forest becomes too quiet
Nearly 1,900 different bird species live in Indonesia - that's around 17 per cent of all bird species in the world. More than 500 of these species are endemic, i.e. they are only found on specific islands, such as the sunset lorikeet. This species diversity is primarily threatened by habitat destruction.
This threat is exacerbated by the fact that keeping birds is part of everyday life and culture for many people in Indonesia. Nearly a third of all households own one or more birds with some owners proudly participating in singing competitions with their popular songbirds for attractive prize money.
This has fuelled bird trapping and bird trade on an enormous scale. Although the sale of protected species at bird markets is prohibited in Indonesia, in practice traders are rarely punished.
The Prigen Conservation Breeding Ark
The Prigen Conservation Breeding Ark (PCBA) is a species conservation project on the Indonesian island of Java. It focuses on the conservation breeding of endangered Indonesian species, in particular songbirds.
The project was launched in 2017 in response to the illegal bird trade to help the conservation of endangered species in Indonesia through ex-situ (outside their natural habitat) breeding activities.
Success stories include the reintroduction of the Javan pied myna (Garcupica jalla) and the breeding of species that are not bred anywhere else in the world. The Maratua shama (Copsychus barbouri) for example would be extinct today without conservation breeding.
Funding and partnerships: The PCBA is a joint project in cooperation with Taman Safari, the KASI Foundation and international partners such as the ZGAP (Zoological Society for Species and Population Conservation). The project manager is Jochen Menner, a former employee from Zoo Leipzig.
Zoo Leipzig supports this project financially.
