Central Sulawesi - It was early morning and the grass was still wet with dew. An elderly man was walking home to his village. The deep wrinkles on his face betrayed his age of almost 72, as he revealed later.
Enthusiastic and agile, the grandfather of 14 was hospitable when he received The Jakarta Post early last month. To reach his house, we had to trek for some five kilometers, including wading across a quickly moving river.
Yali is a farmer in Pakuli village, Gumbasa district, Donggala regency, some 62 kilometers south of Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi province.
A farmer though he is, Yahi has taken upon himself the role of conservationist -- protecting and breeding a rare bird species -- maleo (Macrocephalon maleo) -- in the nearby Lore Lindu National Park.
The maleo is found only in Sulawesi. Their number is unknown, but it is believed the species is on the brink of extinction.
The maleo is slightly bigger than a free-range chicken, measuring in length about 55 cm from its yellowish beak to its tail. With mostly purplish black feathers and reddish white in the abdomen, an adult maleo has a black protrusion on its head which serves to detect soil temperatures suitable for hatching its eggs.
With reddish-white fine feathers around the eyes, it has stronger and bigger feet and claws than a chicken. Maleo eggs are five times larger than chicken eggs, each weighing 17 percent (232 grams on average) of the female body.
The large eggs produce yolk that constitutes 67 percent of total egg contents. More uniquely still, these eggs are not hatched by the female birds but instead by holes in the ground, with the help of geothermal or sunshine heat.
Yali goes around the forest to find holes in the ground where maleo usually lay their eggs. He moves the eggs to his farm pen in order to hatch them, and to protect them from predators like monitor lizards. After several weeks, healthy maleo chicks will hatch.
"I then take the young birds to another pen, while waiting for the right time to release them into the wild," he said.
Maleo eggs take between 10 and 15 days to hatch, depending on the weather. Hot weather speeds up the process, while cold weather slows it down.
His activities not only protect the endemic birds of Central Sulawesi, but also safeguard the forest zone against the threat of illegal loggers. Yali claims to have several times prevented outsiders from felling trees in the national park.
His conservation efforts have earned praise from many quarters. Apart from financial aid from Jambata Palu Foundation, Yali received an award during the 2003 commemoration of Environment Day from former Central Sulawesi governor Aminuddin Ponulele.
Environment minister Rachmat Witoelar has visited Yali‘s maleo breeding location in Donggala.
Sadly, the government‘s support ends with inspections only. For his dedication to maleo conservation, Yali receives no financial aid from the government.
The only organization that pays attention to him is Jambata Palu, which provides Yali with a monthly stipend of Rp 200,000. Jambata Palu is a local forest conservation foundation, whose programs are funded by, among others, the United Nations Development Program.
Now the fate of the rare maleo birds in Lore Lindu National Park is virtually in Yasi‘s hands alone. With his age advancing, locals have begun to wonder who will take his place to save this unique species.
Source: www.thejakartapost.com (4 September 2007)