Malaysia is home for some critically endangered animal bird species - so, the question is how do we PROTECT these endangered species of animals, birds, fish, insect, etc ... Do we protect the HABITAT(the living environment) whenever we discover such endangered or CRITICALLY endangered species.
Just passing laws preventing HUNTING, capture and sale - or even animal trafficking is simply not enough - WE SHOULD REALLY PRESERVE THE LIVING ENVIRONMENT OF SUCH SPECIES..
Easy if such species are discovered in Forests and Forest Reserves ...that belong to the State government - hence the people of the state. Then preserving the HABITAT is easy to achieve - because it is government land....compared to if it was PRIVATE property.
If it is private property, then maybe we need LAWS that allow the State to ACQUIRE the said land/property so that the Habitat or the place the said endangered species is found to be living ...and then keep it safe so it survives and hopefully one day, that species is no longer endangered.
Laws preventing HUNTING, capture and sale or trafficking is just not enough - what do you, the people of Malaysia think?
Time for POLICY AND LAW REFORM that will protect and preserve endangered or CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES found living in Malaysia...laws that will PROTECT THE HABITAT where the said species lives or forages for food, etc..
Or maybe, we just don't care - let it die out - We are not bothered?
'..The recommendations from the workshop formed the basis for developing the Range-wide Helmeted Hornbill Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (2018-2027) which was recently adopted by a host of organisations.The 10-year plan focuses on eliminating demand for helmeted hornbill products across all consumer communities or countries; effective enforcement of national and international policies and legislation to ensure that the CITES Appendix I listing for the species is effectively implemented; banning all commercial trade including domestic trade; and empowering local communities to protect and conserve their resident helmeted hornbill populations.
empowering local communities to protect and conserve their resident helmeted hornbill populations - well, that is more like caring by the preservation of the live and livelihood of the said species - Yes, local community could be engaged to help as well
HAS THE MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT PASSED ANY LAWS - AND MAYBE EVEN STATE GOVERNMENT MUST PASS LAWS - since the land comes under state government..
Has Selangor, Penang, etc - them opposition States governed by PH Plus passed needed state enactments that will protect the HABITAT of these endangered species - most importantly maybe those critically endangered species like the HELMETTED HORNBILL which is found in Malaysia, both in Peninsular Malaysia as well as Sabah/Sarawak..
Thailand has about 100 Helmeted Hornbills - how many are there in Peninsular Malaysia? How many in East Malaysia?
Thailand places helmeted hornbills under protection
- Thailand
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Tuesday, 09 Mar 2021
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BANGKOK (The Nation/ANN): The helmeted hornbill was added to the list of Thailand’s reserved wildlife on Monday (March 8) at a committee on national wildlife conservation and protection meeting led by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa.
Sasin Chalermlarp, president of the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation and committee member, said the birds will be officially added to the reserved list once the legal process is complete within a year.
He added that the foundation, together with the Thailand Hornbill Research Foundation, will continue monitoring the situation.
These birds hunted because their unique ivory casque commands a high price.As per the 2019 Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act, people caught hunting or selling protected wildlife will face at least 10 years in prison and/or a fine of Bt1 million.
People who hunt or sell reserved wildlife will face up to 15 years in prison and/or a fine of up to Bt1.5 million.
The helmeted hornbill is considered a prehistoric animal and ancestor of other hornbills in Asia. It can be found in Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.
A 2019 survey revealed that some 20 helmeted hornbills were spotted in three reservation areas in Thailand, namely the Budo Sungai Padi National Park, Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary and Khlong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary. There are fewer than 100 helmeted hornbills nationwide.
Owing to constant hunting and habitat loss, the helmeted hornbill moved up in the list from threatened to critically endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2015.
It is listed in Appendix I of CITES.Conservation group TRAFFIC reported that 2,170 casques were confiscated in just three years in China and Indonesia alone.
Meanwhile, at least 546 hornbill parts, mostly casques of helmeted hornbills, have been posted for sale on Thai Facebook pages over the past five years.
Traders apparently pay
villagers between Bt5,000 and Bt6,000 for a hornbill head, which are
then sold at double or triple the amount in cities and other countries. -
The Nation/Asia News Network, Star, 9/3/2021
Helmeted hornbill now critically-endangered, says Sarawak zoologist
KUCHING, Sept 1 ― The helmeted hornbill, one of eight hornbill species that can be found in Sarawak, is now critically endangered due to years of poaching, warned local zoologist Jason Teo.
Teo, a Universiti Malaysia Sarawak graduate and member of Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) Kuching branch, said the critically-endangered species is the largest hornbill not just in Sarawak but also Borneo, and is at risk of going extinct.
Describing the helmeted hornbill as a “very special bird”, he said bird watchers have dubbed it ‘the phoenix’ due to its large size ― about 120cm or four feet in length, roughly the size of a child.
“(Despite its size) It can still fly and it has a very beautiful long tail, just like the phoenix,” he said in a video uploaded on YouTube recently.
The video was made with the hope of raising awareness among the local community on the perilous state of the helmeted hornbill.
According to Teo, the helmeted hornbill is the only hornbill species in the world with a solid casque.
“It is a little bit sad that this helmeted hornbill may go extinct soon, as it is now critically endangered. It is one stage away from being extinct, because there are no more helmeted hornbills in the wild,” he added.
In calling on the people to play a part in preventing the extinction of the helmeted hornbill, Teo said the public can serve as the eyes and ears of the authorities in bringing an end to the hunting and selling of the hornbill’s casque.
“Alert the authorities if you come across any poaching or trading of helmeted hornbills. Poachers and smugglers are smart, so the authorities need to have eyes and ears everywhere. Things will change only if we play our part.”
He said increased public awareness can help save the helmeted hornbill similar to how the giant panda ― once one of the world’s critically-endangered species ― was rescued.
“The giant panda is a miracle. People started becoming aware and then a lot of money and effort were put into conservation and research.
“It was a conservation miracle,” he said, adding that he hoped more people would become aware of the issue so that future generations would have the chance to see a real helmeted hornbill rather than seeing one on television or in books.
Teo said those wanting to report poaching or trading of helmeted hornbills can contact Sarawak Forestry Corporation’s offices in Kuching (019-8859996), Sibu (019-8883561), Bintulu (019-8332737), or Miri (019-8290994); the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia (1-800-88-5151); or Sabah Wildlife Department (012-8019289).
According to BirdLife International’s website, the helmeted hornbill is one of the most unusual hornbills given its solid casque.
In the last nine years, the species has come under unprecedented pressure from an exploding demand for casques as a material for carved jewelry and ornaments.
The non-governmental organisation said a helmeted hornbill casque could fetch around US$1,000 in the black market, adding that at least 2,878 casques were seized globally between 2010 and 2017.
It said due to the decimation of the species in Indonesia as a result of poaching, helmeted hornbills are now being hunted for in Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand which has caused a rapid decline in its numbers.
In May 2017, BirdLife along with Sarawak Forestry Corporation, Wildlife Reserves Singapore and IUCN SSC Asian Species Action Partnership co-organised a helmeted hornbill conservation planning workshop at Kubah National Park here.
The recommendations from the workshop formed the basis for developing the Range-wide Helmeted Hornbill Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (2018-2027) which was recently adopted by a host of organisations.
The 10-year plan focuses on eliminating demand for helmeted hornbill products across all consumer communities or countries; effective enforcement of national and international policies and legislation to ensure that the CITES Appendix I listing for the species is effectively implemented; banning all commercial trade including domestic trade; and empowering local communities to protect and conserve their resident helmeted hornbill populations. ― Borneo POST, Malay Mail, 1/9/2020
Helmeted Hornbills are ‘on the verge of Extinction’
A helmeted hornbill takes to the sky. Photo Credit: Christian Goers via Rainforest Trust
Helmeted hornbills – time to brace yourself – may be on the way to extinction in the wild. They are near-extinct in Indonesian Sumatra and may soon face a similar fate in Malaysian Borneo as well.
Unceasing demand for their casques, as their helmet-like appendages are known, has been driving the birds dangerously close to the point of no return in Sumatra, a team of researchers has warned in a study, “Trade in the Helmeted Hornbill Rhinoplax vigil: the ‘ivory hornbill’,” published in the journal Bird Conservation International.
“Between March 2012 and August 2014,” they write, “a minimum 2,170 heads and/or casques were seized from the illegal trade in Indonesia and China in identifiable enforcement actions. Seizures were made from poachers, smugglers, processing facilities and retailers (both physical shops and online traders).” At this rate, the birds will go extinct in the wild within a few years. “Efforts are therefore urgently needed to end this illegal trade, which is controlled by organised crime [syndicates] with interests in other wildlife products,” the scientists add.
They recommend increasing the penalties for wildlife traffickers and boosting awareness of the plight of the species among potential consumers. They also call for urgent measures to roll back the illegal trade in the critically endangered species by stepping up wildlife patrols and clamping down on the criminal networks behind the trade. Time, they say, is fast running out for the majestic birds.
A decorative carving made from a helmeted hornbill’s casque. Photo Credit: Science Photo Library
Poachers continue to target wild helmeted hornbills for their solid lumps of keratin atop their beaks that are as highly prized as elephant ivory in China, where the casques are carved into expensive jewelry and luxury decorations.
Unfortunately for the shy, fruitarian birds, their large size (they can weight 3 kilograms with a wingspan of up to 2 meters), their striking black-and-white plumage, and their conspicuous habits (they frequently issue loud calls to each other in their forest homes) often make them easy targets for poachers. According to the researchers, criminal syndicates routinely commission teams of poachers in Sumatra and Borneo to hunt down the birds.
“The 2015 IUCN Red List assessment notes the species has apparently almost disappeared from habitats where it was previously abundant on Sumatra and cautions that poaching efforts could shift to Malaysia from Indonesia, where illegal capture is now focused,” warns the anti-wildlife trafficking watchdog TRAFFIC.
“If this problem isn’t dealt with very soon, the Helmeted Hornbill may be wiped out in Indonesia and seriously threatened elsewhere,” said Chris Shepherd, the group’s regional director in Southeast Asia. “The health of the rainforests will suffer and the forests will fall silent.”
That, needless to say, would be a tragedy. - Clean Malaysia, 12/5/2016
Nations vow to Save Helmeted Hornbills
Helmeted hornbills need all the help they can get before time runs out on them. Photo Credit: Flickr
Unless we act, helmeted hornbills will go extinct in the wild. This isn’t a bit of alarmism; it’s a fact. The beautiful birds have been poached mercilessly across their range for their casques (helmet-like structures atop their beaks), which are highly prized as decorative items in China and Vietnam. In an encouraging development, however, participating nations at a CITES conference in Johannesburg have adopted a resolution calling for “urgent and integrated conservation and law enforcement measures” to prevent the embattled birds from going extinct.
About time too.
“This is a great victory for the helmeted hornbill that has been ruthlessly hunted for its red ivory as the elephant has been killed off for its ivory,” Noviar Andayani, director of the Wildlife Conservation Society Indonesia Program, hailed the resolution. “Many have heard about the elephant ivory crisis and now it is time to hear more about the helmeted hornbill ivory crisis and take swift action to save it.”
Photo Credit: Wildlife Conservation Society
Actions will speak louder than words, however, and what we will need is concerted and decisive actions against poachers and traffickers. Time is running out for the helmeted hornbill (Rhinoplax vigil), which is listed in CITES Appendix I and on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as “critically endangered.” The unrelenting demand for their casques, which have been dubbed “red ivory,” has led to rampant poaching of the birds. Recently a team of researchers has warned in a study, “Trade in the Helmeted Hornbill Rhinoplax vigil: the ‘ivory hornbill’,” that the birds are facing the imminent prospect of extinction in the wild.
“Between March 2012 and August 2014,” they wrote, “a minimum 2,170 heads and/or casques were seized from the illegal trade in Indonesia and China in identifiable enforcement actions. Seizures were made from poachers, smugglers, processing facilities and retailers (both physical shops and online traders).” At this rate, the birds will go extinct in the wild within a few years. “Efforts are therefore urgently needed to end this illegal trade, which is controlled by organised crime [syndicates] with interests in other wildlife products,” the researchers added.
Anecdotal evidence from locals in Malaysia has borne out such heartrending findings. Even as recently as the 1990s, the birds proliferated in the forest complex of Belum Temengor in Peninsular Malaysia, according to the headman of a local orang asli village. These days, he adds, they are nowhere to be found. The birds are threatened both by habitat loss and rampant poaching there and in nearby Borneo too. In August, Malaysian wildlife officials seized 200 wildlife parts, which included a helmeted hornbill casque and more than 45 hornbill beak tips. “A seizure like this has never before been made here and suggests that our Helmeted Hornbill species might also be targeted,” Kanitha Krishnasamy, senior programme manager of TRAFFIC in Southeast Asia, told the New Strait Times.
Time to act and act fast.- Clean Malaysia, 3/10/2016
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