By Isle of Wight Observer
Amazon World Zoo Park is celebrating a victory for global conservation with the hatching of a critically endangered Bali starling chick.
The new arrival, now approximately one month old, has just fledged its nest, marking a vital contribution to the international effort to save this species from extinction.
The Bali starling is one of the rarest birds on the planet, with fewer than 50 individuals left in their native Indonesian forests. Their perilous status is a direct result of relentless trapping for the illegal songbird trade and ongoing habitat destruction. Modern zoos are now acting as a crucial safety net for the species through dedicated breeding programmes like the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), which Amazon World is a proud member of.
A member of the zoo’s staff expressed their delight: “Our chick can now be seen in our village aviary alongside other rare birds like the endangered blue-headed quail dove and the vulnerable Roul-Roul partridges, who also have three chicks at the moment.
“We are proud to be one of the facilities breeding this rare species in Europe and have been successfully doing so for the last few years.”
Mal Butler