In the world, there is no more cruel act than human hunting animals, and in pursuit of profit, many animals have been hunted and killed and embarked on the road to endangerment. For example, ivory, as we know it, will be made into a variety of crafts and then sold at a high price.
There is also a similar "crane top red", which is a pure natural carving raw material that is more expensive than the price of gold, it is a helmeted hornbill skull as raw material, and elephants, the skull of this helmeted hornbill is made into a variety of crafts, under the trend of interests, the number of helmeted hornbills has become more and more rare, so what kind of bird is the helmeted hornbill, why does it have such a high economic value?
What kind of bird is the helmeted hornbill?
The helmeted hornbill lives mainly in the low mountains below 1,500 meters above sea level or in the lush broad-leaved forests at the foot of the mountain, most of them are found in southern Thailand, southern Myanmar and Sumatra, etc. This bird has become an endangered species for the time being, and in international trade, this bird is banned from sale and trade, and is an international first-class protected species.
The helmeted hornbill has a body length of one hundred and twenty centimeters, which is more than ten times the body length of ordinary birds, which is the largest bird. In daily life, helmeted hornbills mainly feed on wild fruits, frogs, etc., their heads are harder than the heads of other ordinary birds, such as wearing a helmet on the top of the head, very hard, this special part is called "helmet protrusion", accounting for ten percent of the helmeted hornbill's own weight, towering above their heads.
The beak of the helmeted hornbill is red , the middle and rear part of the helmet is bright red , and the front and beak are yellow. The female is slightly smaller , with a pale blue neck , a small helmet , and a paler color. The role of this helmet at the top of the head is not only a survival weapon for the helmet hornbills, but also has a defensive effect, and is a powerful self-defense weapon that can be used to attack objects that threaten them. On weekdays, helmeted hornbills, whether courting or feeding, rely on helmet protrusions, which are the most important organs in their bodies.
Why are helmeted hornbills on the road to endangerment?
1, the special skull has a great market value has been destroyed
If the skulls of other birds are hollow, the skulls of helmeted hornbills are solid, and only males have the unique "crane top red". The skull texture of the helmeted hornbill is very special, similar to amber, mainly because the helmeted hornbill's sebaceous glands will seal off a red waxy liquid and dye the skull red, so from the appearance of such a helmeted hornbill will appear particularly powerful. Because the "helmeted" skull of the helmeted hornbill is very similar to the ivory texture of the elephant, it also caused them to be destroyed.
We all know that elephants' ivory can be made into a variety of handicrafts, and then the traders will sell at high prices, the same helmeted hornbill's solid bones because of the bright color has also been targeted by those criminals, driven by huge interests, the price of the helmeted hornbill skull is even higher than the price of gold, the wind of hunting helmeted hornbills has become more and more intense, and even many male helmeted hornbills have been cut off by criminals in a state of living and awake. From hunting, to picking, to processing and selling, this series of operations are interlocked.
According to incomplete statistics, in Indonesia alone, nearly 6,000 helmeted hornbills embark on the road to extinction every year. In the eyes of human beings, the helmet protrusion in the helmet hornbill is a rare natural carving raw material, and after the baptism of time, the red and yellow helmet protrusion has become the best gift of nature in the eyes of collectors and artists.
In terms of market value, crafts made from helmeted hornbills can sell for up to 800,000 yuan, which is three times more expensive than crafts made of ivory. What's even more ironic is that some merchants also use the skull of the helmeted hornbill to carve into a Buddha statue for sale, and the helmeted hornbill without the skull means that it is not far from death. Behind this crazy trade, the helmeted hornbilly has embarked on the road to endangerment and become the most dangerous species in the world, which is very regrettable.
2. Special breeding habits put family members on the road to death
Helmeted hornbills breed in a very special way, they usually choose a cliff face stone cave or tree hole as their nest, sometimes this nest is not a one-time, can be used for many years.
Generally, after the male helmeted hornbill chooses the nesting position, it begins to be carefully decorated, using pine leaves and weeds as a "soft bed" so that the female helmeted hornbills can comfortably lay eggs here, not only that, the male helmeted hornbills will also use their own excrement, or the wet mud in the river to seal the opening of the hole, leaving only an inconspicuous gap to prevent being attacked by other animals.
The breeding season for female helmeted hornbills is from January to March and from May to November, and one or two eggs are laid for each spawn, and in the time after that, the female helmeted hornbills will take care of their cubs and will not go out. During this period, they rely on the male helmeted hornbills for food. If the male helmeted hornbill has an accident and dies during the breeding of the female helmeted hornbill, then the female helmeted hornbill and their offspring will have to draw a trap until death comes.
3. The habitat is gradually decreasing and the ecological environment is changing
In addition, in recent years, with the global warming, the sea level rises, many places have appeared extreme climates, such as some places have reduced precipitation, some places have appeared extremely high temperature, these climate changes, exacerbated the helmeted hornbilly habitat range gradually reduced, coupled with human deforestation, resulting in serious changes in the ecological environment, in this case the number of helmeted hornbills is gradually decreasing.
How has the helmeted hornbilly become today?
In fact, as early as 1959, Singapore's helmeted hornbills were extinct. In 2012, the helmeted hornbill was also listed as an endangered species, and its population has not stopped, and in recent years poaching has become more rampant.
From six thousand helmeted hornbills to just a few hundred, Indonesia's relevant investigation chief said: "These poachers are so barbaric that they want to exterminate the helmeted hornbills, and now there is almost no helmeted hornbill in Kalimantan." "In just a few short years, the helmeted hornbilly has fallen victim to the pursuit of economic interests.
It can be seen that the helmeted hornbill becomes an endangered species of human action occupies the main reason, the so-called no trade is not killed, in order to let other helmeted hornbills survive unharmed, human beings must put an end to all hunting and poaching, love this rare species, in order to make them better reproduce, in order to make the whole nature more colorful.