Eco Petulu Bird Sanctuary ( Bali)

Eco Petulu Bird Sanctuary started as an initiative to protect the local egrets. Victims of habitat loss, their breeding grounds and nesting place have been affected. Some medical conditions encountered by the birds also led to some of their deaths. The aim of the sanctuary is to rescue and release as many fallen, injured or abandoned egrets as possible. It is also to take care of any birds brought into their care. Their biggest star at the moment is Fuku, a Sunda Scops Owl which was brought into their care in October 2024.

The project started in 2020 by the owner, who was 82 years old at the time. He used to visit the Petulu area, renowned for its massive colonies of egrets, and noticed that many young egrets were falling from their nest, roaming the streets with no care. He then decided to create a rescue place for the egrets to be taken care of. Their most recent caretaker, Made, then joined Eco Putulu Bird Sanctuary in 2022. We have interviewed him so that he can tell us a bit more about the program and how they can be helped.

Made with Fuku (Photo by Julien Clerget)

Made, 31 years old, started to work at Eco Petulu Bird Sanctuary in 2022. Prior to that he was working at Green Camp, an educational institution, as a facilitator and outdoor educator. He used to show campers how to enjoy the local nature respectfully and to teach them about local species. This experience, he mentioned, shaped him to become the person he is today : kind, gentle and caring about his surroundings.​ His passion for animals comes from long ago, when he wandered the wilderness of Indonesia and was able to appreciate the beauty of it all. He then started to notice the changes happening around him as the tamed was replacing the wild and the wild spaces were reducing each year. His decision to join the sanctuary was driven from his past experiences and a strong desire to protect the last remaining wild spaces.

Photo by Kizamaya

Photo by Giuseppe Calsamiglia

Photo by Emilie Chen

"I noticed that this season, the number of birds coming were fewer than during the past two seasons .The season also ends faster than it's supposed to. The patterns and numbers of egrets have changed." Made

Made welcomes visitors of the Eco Petulu Bird Sanctuary and Café. The café, owned by a friend of the sanctuary's owner, is a separate entity. Both places benefit from the other and they have established a partnership to make the area tourist friendly, attracting people interested in birds and helping the local community. This great initiative has proven efficient as people from different nationalities frequently visit the "local stars". Some of them are found injured and brought to the sanctuary.

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Fuku : an example of resilience

Fuku, with his visible microphtalmia (Photo by Julien Clerget)

One of the current star is Fuku, a sunda scops owl. Fuku means luck in japanese. He was indeed, lucky to be found !  He was rescued in October 2024 in the northern part of Bali by an australian tourist who stumbled upon the injured young animal in front of the bungalow he was staying in. He decided to drive all the way to Eco Petulu Bird Sanctuary to allow the animal to have a second chance to live. Fuku has a difformation on the right eye, making it smaller than the other. It is called microphtalmia. Made thinks that he was probably rejected from the nest by his parents who figured out his chances to survive would be slimer than other offsprings. Given the best care, Fuku is currently thriving. He lives freely in the sanctuary, able to fly as he wishes. Made hopes that at some point, he will permanently take his wings on the journey to be fully wild. While still depedent on humans for food, Fuku has already been on a four day solo trip, later coming back. Made is trying to teach him how to grab live crickets, hoping that he may apply this behavior in the wild.

Update from 8 July 2025 : Fuku took off 31 days ago. He has not been seen since. It is hoped that he managed to survive in the wild. There is however the risk that he did not make it, either by encountering predators such as snakes or by not finding any food and his way back to the sanctuary. Let us hope for the best outcome for our little legend !

The threats to balinese birds

• Habitat Loss and Fragmentation: like most animals, the natural spaces used by birds have been significantly shrinking. Human activity, notably for logging, plantation and urbanisation, has had a toll on the areas which can be used by birds for nesting, feeding and breeding.

• Illegal bird trade and poaching: Indonesia is one of the country with the highest rate of bird trade worldwide. Poaching and trafficking have seen some iconic species such as the Bali Starling become critically endangered.

• Bird display and songbird trade: It is a common indonesian practice to display birds in cage in front of their homes or businesses. Some of them also take part in events where birds in cage sing. The winner can be sold for an astronomical sum of money. This tradition mainly occurs in Java, but also exists in Bali.

The future of balinese birds hangs in a thread. Education is a first step to how people can be better taught about the importance of a healthy and thriving environment. If some of the perpetrators of bird trade would instead use their energy into conservation, the amount of money made from ecotourism could help them make a living too. It is equally urgent to halt the destruction of the last wild spaces remaining. Without these spaces, many key species could disappear, directly impacting the quality of life of the local population and disturbing millions of years of evolution.

How can you help ?

• Visit Eco Petulu Bird Sanctuary on your visit to Bali : Meeting the protectors of the wild and learning from their experiences is valuable. The knowledge transmitted from one human to an other is key in bringing an understanding around us of the importance of keeping the environment as intact as possible. It is a beautiful moment of sharing between someone who is passionate about what they do to curious humans, like you ! 

• Make a donation : Eco Petulu Bird Sanctuary possess a donation box available at the café. You can also donate online here : https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/fionaerika12?country.x=ID&locale.x=en_US

• Bring your bird knowledge to them : Made often states that he is not a bird expert : simply someone who loves and cares about the animals of his country. He asked us to be on the lookout for bird experts who could bring them further knowledge on the best practices to take care of their winged guests and to better educate the population and tourists about what they do. If you tihkn that you can help, please feel free to contact us with the form below this page !