Eight hornbills were rescued from smugglers by Forest Department officials in Magway Region last week, and they were rereleased into the wild on Saturday.
The birds were found in the possession of a motorcyclist who was bringing them to be sold at an illegal wildlife market in Magway Region. Great hornbills taken from Myanmar often end up in China.
A Forest Department official told Eleven that the motorcyclist was not a member of the smuggling ring that sought to sell the birds but was hired by them to transport the birds to the market.
“The smugglers aren’t transporting the horn bills themselves. They paid a cycle carrier to do the job. Each bird costs K20,000 locally, but in the smuggled market, they cost K60,000 each,” the official said.
The motorcyclist is now facing legal action.
The birds were released on October 14 into the Mangyo Forest Reserve in Magway’s Ngaphe Township.
The great hornbill is categorized as ‘near threatened’ IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Its elaborate bill also used in the traditional dress of some indigenous communities, and its meat is believed by some to be medicinal.
It is the state bird of Chin State.
