(MY) milky storks and captive breeding

[Guest guest]

Milky Storks get lifeline with captive breeding-New Straits Times

05 Mar 2007

Jaspal Singh

 

KUALA GULA: There is still hope for the Burung Botak Upeh, or Milky

Storks, at the Matang mangrove forest reserve.

 

Following a drop in the number of sightings of these birds from more

than 100 in the 1980s to fewer than 10 last year, the Ministry of

Natural Resources and Environment has introduced captive breeding to

increase its population size.

 

Acting on recommendations of a two-year study carried out by the

Wetlands International and the Department of Wildlife and National

Parks, the ministry, with the help of the National Zoo, embarked on

captive breeding of the species after realising that natural breeding

had failed.

 

The ministry's parliamentary secretary Datuk Sazmi Miah said after

opening the World Wetlands Day, that a special allocation of RM500,000

had been set aside under the Ninth Malaysia Plan for captive breeding

of the Milky Storks.

 

He said part of the allocation would also be used to set up a captive

breeding facility at the Kuala Gula Bird Sanctuary by 2009.

 

The two-year survey, however, was unable to pinpoint the reason for

the unsuccessful natural breeding.

 

It raised concern that the existence of natural predators, such as

long-tailed macaques, silver leaf monkeys, monitor lizards and certain

species of large birds might have affected the natural breeding

process.

 

The survey, sponsored by Nagao Natural Environment Foundation of Japan

and Tan Kean Cheong Bird Conservation Memorial Fund in Perak, also

pointed to " a lack of large tracts of undisturbed, tall, mature

mangrove forest " as one of a host of reasons for the unsuccessful

breeding.

 

On increasing the size of the protective forest around Pulau Kelumpang

and Pulau Terung, the bird's main feeding, roosting and breeding

habitat, from the 7,000ha currently, Sazmi said: " We accept the

recommendation and have forwarded the proposal to the Perak government

as land and forest matters are under the purview of the state.

 

" The ministry hopes to negotiate to increase the buffer zone to at

least 10,000ha to ensure a better survival rate for the Milky Storks. "

 

Sazmi, who earlier released eight captive-bred Milky Storks, said two

of the birds had been equipped with satellite radio collars to monitor

their movements.

 

" We are serious about increasing the population of the Milky Storks at

the Matang mangrove forest reserve.

 

" To achieve that, we will continue to release captive-bred storks in

stages over the next five years and monitor their progress. "

 

 

The 40,466ha Matang mangrove forest reserve, managed by the Perak

Forestry Department, is the only place in the country where the Milky

Storks are found.