
A bird that's more valuable than ivory - ghosh
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34504217?OCID=twitterasia
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Swinx43
What on earth is wrong with us humans? We seem to hunt animals to extinction
for nothing more than a trinket manufactured from them! It has no life saving
medicinal value or any such other kind of intrinsic value.

One day our children will look at us with disbelief and disdain as one of the
most idiotic unenlightened "civilised" generations.

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TausAmmer
I hope your last sentence will come true.

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Swinx43
I agree, it will be truly sad if it never happens.

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throwaway_exer
The hornbill is a remarkable bird, with over distinctive 100 species.

They are also one of the most intelligent. When you see one in a zoo, he is
actually watching you - it feels like you're in the presence of a primate.

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ommunist
If hornbill is that valuable, why not breed and farm it?

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mschuster91
Not all species can be bred and farmed in captivity.

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ommunist
You can tell this to hen and pigs. You will be astonished by their answers
about how few generations of artificial selection will result in successful
variety. I once spent a year working with a private zoo owner and collector.
He had several species successfully bred in captivity, while the mainstream
opinion was "its impossible to breed Eublepharis turcmenicus in captivity".
Before 1988 there were only 40 known specimen. He alone had 20 alive and
breeding. Just a matter of observation, careful experiment and some money, not
much. That hornbill is a challenge, but not impossible one. I bet you, its
cheaper to establish breeding program, than spent money on poachers.

Disclaimer: Worked 6 years in nature conservation programmes.

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toisanji
that bird is really ugly

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goldenkey
I feel that the poaching is awful but when I saw the last pic, I did have a
second where I said "Well damn...that bird is a real fuggle."

