Amid move up price of elephant ivory , the schnozzle of thehelmeted hornbill bird has become the late " must - have " detail in the world of illegal wildlife trading .
The Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species ( CITES ) , a worldwide summit on the illegal wildlife swop , kick off this weekin Johannesburg , South Africa . The plight of the helmeted hornbill bird is becoming a rising theme at the convention , as the illegal wildlife saving desperately seeks out choice to ivory .
With increasing demand for its casque ( its enlarged beak and " headpiece " ) , poaching of the species has shot up in the past couple of years . The tropical bird is aboriginal to the Malay Peninsula , Sumatra , and Borneo , but there ’s been an increasing number being seized from robust or holidaymaker - great countries , such as China , Hong Kong , Lao PDR , and Indonesia , according to arecent report ( PDF)from the wildlife business deal watchdogTRAFFIC .
Between March 2012 and August 2014 , there were 2,170 helmeted hornbill casque confiscate in China and Indonesia alone . The report also found markets across Southeast Asia openly trade the casques and even luxury hotel proudly prove off helmeted hornbill ornaments .
The helmeted hornbill is becoming referred to by some as “ ivory on wing , ” theAssociated Pressreports . The red bills are made out of firm ceratin , although it is marginally soft than ivory , take a crap it easier to carve into jewelry or ornaments . The ruby - orange tree color also makes them attractive to consumer .
This increase demand has hit the metal money hard . In 2015 , theIUCN Red Listuplisted the helmeted hornbill from their status of Near Threatened to Critically Endangered “ owe to severe hunting pressure for its casque . ”
“ If this trouble is n’t divvy up with very soon , the Helmeted Hornbill may be wiped out in Indonesia and seriously threatened elsewhere , ” Dr Chris Shepherd , regional director for TRAFFIC in Southeast Asia , said in astatement . “The wellness of the rainforests will stand and the forests will fall dumb . ”
The dealings report reason out by saying South Asian governments need to increase their enforcement and regulation attempt , in particular along the borders of Lao PDR , Myanmar , and China . It advise government openly share information with each other so that more solid intelligence - based probe can be led . They also desire to make consumer more aware of the problem in the hopes it will stifle the demand .
