Did you know stork? At Petulu Village Ubud, there are sets of storks. Stork or Kokokan bird in Balinese language, are lives at trees of Petulu Village in peace and safe from disturbance.
At Petulu Village, there a lot of changes. Rice field along the way of the Petulu village has become the houses of villagers and barn wood cutting. But the Kokokan bird still many, even more than 13 years ago. Want to know the story about Kokokan bird presence at Petulu village?
Kokokan bird begin nesting at Petulu village since 1965. At first, these Kokokan bird are captured to be eaten or to be maintained, hence the oddity occurred. The people those who catch these Kokokan bird always come back to the village and return it. They said that they unable again. Why?
Reputedly, the people who catch these Kokokan bird was visited by strange creatures big and scary in a dream or reality. This is not hallucination, because more than 50 people experienced it. Finally, after consultation with a priest, perform the ritual of apology in the local village temple.
When the procession took place, the village temple functionary experienced trance and says if the Kokokan bird is actually an rencang (guard) Ida Betara that glorified in the local village temple. These birds are forces who would keep the village in terms of abstract (virtual world) from pest and disease that striking their fields.
It is proved, after the villagers made a monument in the village temple as offerings of this Kokokan bird, the village became prosperous, abundant harvests and there was no danger threatening until today.
Kokokan bird that lives in Petulu village has a white body color with a brown back and face. They live in trees along the road village imaginable up in front of the Pura Desa Adat Petulu (3 km). You maybe lucky if can see the black color of Kokokan. Black Kokokan was only 2 tails and they are the leader of thousands Kokokan birds at Petulu village.
Kokokan will be there starts from October – March. In this period, thousands of Kokokan birds will make nests, lay eggs, hatch their eggs until they hatch, and in March Kokokan children have started to fly. In April – September, the population of Kokokan will be decreases in the daytime. Maybe they fly to other regions to find some food. About evening at 5.30 o’clock, they will be back in Petulu village.
So if you want to see Kokokan birds, the best time is in October until March. And don’t forget to give donation to the village at the box that already provided at guard post at the end of the village.
How to get to Kokokan :
1. 1 hour from Sanur
2. 1.5 hours from Kuta
3. 30 minutes from Ubud
What you can see arround Kokokan Village :
1. Ubud Monkey Forest, the monkeys within the Sacred Monkey Forest of Padangtegal are commonly called long-tailed macaques. Their scientific name is Macaque fascicular. Macaques are found throughout Southeast Asia and many species of macaques live successfully in areas that are heavily utilized by humans.
2. Mas Village lies on the main road, 20 km to the north of Denpasar and 6 km before Ubud, in a hilly countryside covered with ricefields and irrigated year-round by the waters of the Batuan aud Sakah river.
3. Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave) located two kilometers east of Ubud , this complex overlooks the Petanu river and consists of a SiSwati rock-cut cave, a bathing place, a monks’ chamber, a number of Buddhists rock cut Stupa and statues , and several foundations.