Kutilang Indonesia
Great things began from insignificant things. Such process happened to Yayasan Kutilang Indonesia, a non-profit organization aimed to preserve bird and save the environment.
On 1990, a group of birdwatching enthusiasts established a club, called Kutilang Indonesia Bird Watching Club. It was a special moment in birdwatching history in Indonesia, since Kutilang was the first ever birdwatching club.
In the beginning, aside from birdwatching, Kutilang also performed several activities such as avian bioecology research and environmental education. Some of researches conducted by this organization were research on Javan Sparrow and Yellow-crested Cockatoo. Kutilang also surveyed the important bird area in Yogyakarta and Central Java. “Learning by Doing” is the principle of this birdwatching pioneer.
Kutilang is Indonesian word for sooty-headed bulbul, a common bird easily encountered in forest and also widely kept as pet. In its natural habitat, bulbul is social animal. “In the forest, bulbul gives early warning in the event of danger,” Sugihartono, a senior and early member, explains. Inspired by sooty-headed bulbul, Kutilang would also like to give early warning on environmental damage.
Kutilang realized that the scope of environment problems are very broad. The status as a club was then considered as a limitation in solving serious environmental problems. Therefore, in 2002 Kutilang was transformed into Yayasan Kutilang Indonesia For Bird Conservation (Kutilang Indonesia Foundation for Bird Conservation).
“The new format enabled us to do more work for conservation,”says Ige Kristianto, Executive Director of Yayasan Kutilang Indonesia. Following the strategic planning in 2004, the organization made some adjustment and changed its name to Yayasan Kutilang Indonesia.
With its new format, Kutilang works further forward to help resolving the ever-complicated environmental problems. One of Kutilang program is to support law enforcement and stop illegal wildlife trading. Supported by The Gibbon Foundation, Kutilang manages a wildlife rescue center, Pusat Penyelamatan Satwa Jogja (PPSJ). PPSJ, one of several wildlife rescue centers in Indonesia, helps the authority to accommodate confiscated animals.
Some of PPSJ programs are investigation on illegal wildlife trading, environmental education for schoolchildren and release of rehabilitated animals.
Aside from large project like PPSJ, Kutilang still pays attention to bird conservation. To encourage bird-loving attitude, Kutilang organizes Java Bird Walk, a monthly bird-watching trip. Kutilang also publishes Kabar Burung Magazine, a periodic bulletin full of information about bird, discussed from various point of views.
Kutilang formed a “task force unit”, called Jogja Bird Rescue (JBR), to save the bird in their natural habitat. JBR team guarded black eagle nests in south slope of Merapi Mountain, and prevented poachers from stealing young eagles. The decision to guard the . nest was based on the fact that in the past, poachers always stole young eagles from their nests.
Kutilang always eager to do something useful to save the environment and solve the increasingly complicated environmental problems. Kutilang welcomes anyone to work together to save and preserve the environment.
You can contact us at:
Yayasan Kutilang Indonesia
Jl. Tegal Melati 64 A, Jongkang, Sleman, Yogyakarta Kodepos 555581
Telp/fax: 0274-865569
Bank Mandiri KCP Yogyakarta UGM: Yayasan Kutilang Indonesia 137-000453216
Email: kutilangindonesia@yahoo.com
http://www.kutilang.or.id