In April 2019, customs officials in Dhaka, Bangladesh, seized 80 turtles and 12 gold bars from a passenger arriving from Thailand. It was not the first time when a passenger was involved in the illegal shipment of a wildlife species alongside another illicit product. But a report has now found the links between the illegal […]
The coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 2.4 million people worldwide since the first cases were announced in early December. Medical experts across the globe are working tirelessly to develop a vaccine that can halt COVID-19 in its tracks. But in China and other southeast Asian countries there have been reports of countless crooks trying to capitalise on the deadly […]
When most people think of poaching they think of the terrible ivory poaching that kills rhinos and elephants. There are many animals that are often victims of poaching like pangolins and tigers. The helmeted hornbill is at risk of extinction because they are poached for the use of their heads as amulets and decorations. There […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]