In Indonesia, a moving experience with a bird caused a wildlife poacher to have a change of heart. Khaedir used to poach endangered hornbills in the Indonesian Leuser rainforest, according to a BBC report. Khaedir turned to poaching as a means of supporting himself financially, feeling he had no better way to earn money. But […]
Tag: Helmeted hornbill
Hotspots of exploitation: where are species under greatest threat?
By now, almost everyone knows that many rhinoceros species around the world are threatened with extinction because of commercial overexploitation for their horns, which are sold on the black market. Likewise, all pangolin species have been pushed to the brink of extinction, particularly by hunting for their meat and scales. Unsustainable exploitation is the greatest […]
Saving the Helmeted Hornbill
Helmeted Hornbills Rhinoplax vigil are used to clashes. When a tall forest tree is in fruit, rival individuals launch into one of the most remarkable skirmishes seen among birds anywhere. The mighty hornbills, up to 1.5 m in length, take off from their high perches with deep beats of their enormous wings. Just above the […]
One-two punch of habitat loss, capture hammers Southeast Asian birds
JAKARTA — Conservationists have underestimated the combined impact of deforestation and capture when assessing the threat to Southeast Asia’s bird populations — a one-two punch that a new report warns could lead to the extinction of dozens of species by the end of this century. Focusing on 308 forest-dependent bird species in the Sundaland subcontinent, […]
Caught in the Crossfire: Rhinoceros Hornbill
The most distinctive feature of the Rhinoceros Hornbill Buceros rhinoceros (Near Threatened) is its spectacular horn or “casque”. The casque evolved as a resonating chamber to amplify the hornbill’s echoing, otherworldly call. The casque isn’t the only fascinating thing about the Hornbill though. This bird’s courtship involves the ultimate leap of faith. After the eggs […]
POLL: Should the illegal rhino horn trade be shut down?
How do you disrupt the illicit rhino horn supply chain from Africa to Asia? That’s the question spurring a new investigation into rhino horn trafficking in China and Vietnam undertaken by the Elephant Action League (EAL), a Los Angeles-based conservation NGO. Rhinos are being decimated by poaching. In South Africa, home to almost 80 percent […]
POLL: Should the illegal trade in hornbill ivory be stopped?
A virtually unknown ivory poaching crisis is rapidly driving one of the world’s most spectacular birds to extinction, a global wildlife summit has heard. The helmeted hornbill, found mainly in Indonesia, Borneo and Thailand, has a solid red beak which sells as a “red ivory” on the black market, for several times the price of […]
