Every day a good day to love a hornbill

By THE NATION

 

 

Thursday (February 13) was Love Hornbills Day, an annual commemoration of the birds’ value and the threat of extinction it faces.

 

 

Thailand has 13 species of hornbills, 10 of which prefer the South.

 

 

But hornbill chicks fetch a good price on the black market – the birds are regarded by some collectors as “symbols of prestige” – so they’re legally protected.

 

 

Besides the threat to their babies from bird fanciers, hornbills are directly endangered by deforestation, since they make their homes in holes dug into tree trunks.

 

 

Songkhla Zoo is one of the best places in the country to observe hornbills in captivity, giving them room to fly and thrive inside a large netted compound designed to resemble the natural forest.

 

 

On view are rhinoceros, Cygnus, wreathed and bushy-crested hornbills, and their population at the zoo is expanding. 

 

 

It’s only unfortunate that they can’t be released back into the wild, since the danger out there shows no sign of abating.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30382083

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-02-14

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5 hours ago, webfact said:

It’s only unfortunate that they can’t be released back into the wild, since the danger out there shows no sign of abating.

Hornbills belong here , they have been here a long time before people... but now endangered by the 2 legged predators who cut down the forests ... I see this often , they go into the forest to cut down the biggest trees to sell the wood for some money ... sad .

In Nong Nooch the hornbills sit in tiny cages, terrible to see.....

On some islands (Ko Payam, Pulau Ubin) you can still see a lot of these beautiful and very playful birds.