![]() They track what and when the hornbills eat, how long the male spends at the nest cavity (where the female and chick are almost completely encased), when the chick hatches and fledges, and more. The team shares responsibility for monitoring hornbill nests eight hours a day, six days a week. Photo by Sanjitpaal Singh/ .īuilding the foundations for hornbill conservation At the back: Amidi Majinun (left) and Helson Hassan (right). In front: Sanjitpaal Singh (left) and Ravinder Kaur (right). Sanjit provides the photos and videos that capture public attention. Amidi Majinun also recently joined the team. Ravin’s partners include her husband, Sanjitpaal Singh, and Helson Hassan. I’ve gotten to know her through my role managing parts of the program for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). Team leader Ravinder Kaur brings the scientific expertise. Along with support from the Sabah Wildlife Department and Sabah Forestry Department in Malaysia, the team used the CLP grant to design nest boxes that mimic the natural nest cavities that these birds need for breeding. The team was originally granted a Future Conservationist Award in 2017 to help improve breeding opportunities for hornbills. The core team for the group I visited in Sabah, Malaysia on the island of Borneo are a trio of CLP alumni working to conserve hornbills. It was with mixed emotions that I visited the river in July 2019, hoping to see the Big Five for myself. While I didn’t see them all, I did get to witness something even more inspiring: a team of rising conservation leaders that has worked tirelessly and with abundant creativity to create more space for these amazing animals. There is nowhere else for the animals to go. In fact, the narrow strips of land that abut the river are the last remaining forest patches in the area, loosely protected from expanding palm oil plantations. I wish I could tell you this reflected their thriving populations. Photo by Sanjitpaal Singh/ .Įvery day, tourists to lodges along the Kinabatangan River catch glimpses of Borneo’s “Big Five”: orangutan, proboscis monkey, pygmy elephant, rhinoceros hornbill, and estuarine crocodile. Rhinoceros hornbill chick fledged from nest box in 2019. In a recent trip to the area, I had the privilege of seeing the team at work-and what an eye-opening experience it would turn out to be! Luckily, a team of CLP alumni has intervened to provide a safe home for these extraordinary birds using artificial nest boxes. The loss of suitable natural cavities for these hole-nesting, large-bodied birds is one of the key reasons for their decline. The Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary in Borneo is a regenerating forest, home to eight species of hornbills including populations of the Critically Endangered helmeted hornbills and Near Threatened rhinoceros hornbills. This blog has been adapted from a version originally published on the Mongabay website, which can be found here.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |