People Are Rushing to Destroy HORNED BIRDS

I have previously written several pieces about how in African countries, authorities have begun officially slaughtering wild animals in reserves, supposedly to butcher them for meat and feed local residents. In reality, however, they have started selling licenses to kill animals to trophy hunters from Europe and the USA.

The scale of illegal killing of rare animals has also increased. People are rushing en masse to finish them off! Meanwhile, the black market has seen a sharp increase in the price and demand for parts of wild animals: ivory, rhino horns, tiger bones, and others.

The last remaining animals on protected territories are, on one hand, the target of trophy hunting, and on the other, they satisfy the black market demand. Thus, I believe that the African countries themselves, the states, are tied to these lucrative interests and are the main poachers!

Few have noticed, but:

The killing of animals in reserves brings colossal income to the states. After hunting, authorities in some countries declared they would take animal bones (elephants, for instance) to special storages to keep them from poachers. For what reason? Naturally, for further sale.

They do this regularly, officially, through auctions! In 2008, for example, there was a major auction involving countries like South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia. They sold parts of wild animals on the international market!

In 2019, the presidents of Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Namibia, as well as the Minister of the Environment of Angola, held a joint meeting where they called to lift the ban on the sale of ivory. They argued this with the increase in elephant numbers and the rise of conflicts between elephants and farmers.

Then in 2024, these same countries fully officially legalized the killing of wild animals in reserves! Naturally, there is no doubt that after selling licenses to kill animals to “white sahibs” from Europe and the USA, they would sell off parts of the bodies at auctions.

Thus, states on an official level are providing the black market demand with real supply, and they are also initiating the final slaughter of African animals.

HORNED BIRDS

I discussed states! This is one side of the problem, which shows the colossal degradation of the management system in African countries. And if governments themselves act this way, why should the citizens of these states act differently?

While studying the ancient forests in Equatorial Guinea (Africa), I managed to talk to scientists researching poaching in Cameroon. They say local residents have literally gone mad, and in the last two years, the level of illegal killings has risen several times over. It was pointed out to me that not long ago, real wild rhinos inhabited Cameroon. But people have slaughtered them; today, some rare specimens are kept in captivity. There used to be many black rhinos here, which were once widespread in the northern and central regions of Cameroon! In 2011, the black rhino was officially declared extinct in Cameroon. White rhinos also lived here, albeit rarely, as their habitat was further south in Africa.

Rhino horns are bought on the black market, prices reach up to $100,000 for “spectacular specimens.” On average, though, $30,000–50,000 per horn! No surprise they’ve been hunted down, right?

Also, scientists say there has been a frenzy for destroying horned birds lately. Honestly, I hadn’t even heard of them! So, I decided to study the issue further.

I received a scientific study titled “A price on their heads? Assessing foreign demand as a driver of hornbill hunting in Cameroon,” which was first published in June 2024. These are completely fresh and relevant data!

It turns out that in Cameroon (as in other African countries), due to the near-total destruction of rhinos, there has been a rising demand on the black market for the horns of “horned birds.” These tropical birds include 27 species in African countries, as well as 32 species in Asian countries.

Birds are called “rhinoceroses” because they have a large growth on the upper jaw. In some species, it’s brightly colored! These birds are also unique in that many species use an astonishing breeding strategy: females incubate eggs and rear chicks, spending about 100 days in natural cavities, completely shut off from the outside world! Males gather food and feed the family during this time.

Can you imagine? Incredible and wonderful! Amazing.

All horned birds belong to one family, “Calao” (Hornbills).

In recent decades, the calao population has shrunk catastrophically due to habitat destruction. Recently, many African species, which were listed as “least concern,” have been almost completely wiped out across vast areas. In Nigeria and Ghana, for instance, they were almost entirely eradicated!

The reason is that the black market, due to the scarcity of rhino horns, has seen a growing demand for calao horn bills. Wealthy individuals worldwide are rushing to buy horns, genuinely believing in their “magical healing properties.” Naturally, African residents, seeing their governments officially destroy animals and sell their body parts, decided, “Why not earn as well?”

The situation is as follows:

Surveys within the scientific work revealed that about 73% of all Cameroonian hunters consciously kill “horned birds.” Of these, 91% (almost everyone) specifically target calao during hunts to cut off their heads for sale on the black market. All hunters stated, in unison, that they planned to sell the heads to foreign buyers, who are willing to pay increasingly more for the heads of “horned birds” every day.

Additionally, scientists noted that many hunters pointed to demand from China! This means wealthy Chinese people, who are buying bear paws in Russia for “traditional medicine,” have now set their sights on African “horned birds.”

What else is known from the scientific work?

Over the last two years, hunter behavior has changed: young people primarily hunt calao. Older hunters point out that hornbills have become so scarce in the forests, they’re nearly impossible to find! Now hunters travel in droves to the most remote areas, hoping to cut off as many heads as possible to sell on the black market.

As for the “lucrative interests”: the price of a helmeted hornbill horn, for example, reaches $5,000 per 1 kg (about 500,000 rubles). It only lives in the forests of Southeast Asia, while in Africa the crested hornbill is highly valued, with a horn more expensive than ivory!

I spoke with experts and fully agree with their assertion that in the coming years, prices for “horned birds” heads will increase several times, leading to the total extermination of these remarkable creatures!

And since governments officially cull animals in reserves and actively promote trophy hunting, including selling massive amounts of body parts, encouraging global demand, there’s simply no hope for the real protection of “horned birds,” or any other species.

Today, we see the feverish state of a defective global management system, like a freight train without brakes, heading for a cliff.

© PAVEL PASHKOV