so, it's making a small comeback here in taman safari.ound like. birds sing. but if wild songbirds are going to return to more than just small patches of private land, the widescale trapping has to stop. so, is that realistic? and can it happen in time? in the village just minutes from cikananga wildlife centre, there are signs that a real shift is under way. this is the elementary school marching band. they're practising for a big parade they're going to have in cikananga village here. this celebration of indonesia's independence, this learning about multicultural history, is a part of school life. but today, the children are having a lesson that is brand—new to the curriculum. lessons about the environment for these children, learning about the wildlife that is — or should be — on their doorstep, is notjust a novelty. conservationists say it's vital. this is absolutely a crisis. but something we've seen while we've been here is a passion for songbirds, in some cases an obsession with songbirds. and if that can be channelled, especially

a stone's throw from the chaos of the city is the taman safari park.an eclectic home to creatures from all over the world. with its roots in the circus, it boasts animal shows and close encounters which have brought criticism from animal rights campaigners. but there is a particular focus here on rural birds, and that's driven by its owner. amazing. this is the surroundings of our park. 100 hectares of land. so this is your land? yes. after bringing me into the world of the singing competitions, tony shows me around his park. he is using profits from the attractions to fund an emergency response to his country's songbird conservation crisis. instead of battling the bird trade, tony is taking a market friendly approach. he is working with bird owners and persuading them to lend their rare birds to special breeding programmes. the aim is to use these pets to breed more songbirds to meet the high demand. flooding the market with the captive bred birds, actually encouraging their trade, might seem unorthodox. but he says it's working. and he's now going on