Great hornbill: What’s pushing Bangladesh’s ‘king of the forest’ towards extinction?

When officers from the Wildlife Crime Control Unit forced open the doors of a warehouse in Mirpur on 9 June, they uncovered a hidden collection of Bangladesh's disappearing wildlife. Inside were 42 rare native animals destined for the international black market.

Among them stood three great hornbills — birds once celebrated as the undisputed "kings of the forest" in the hills of Chattogram.

The raid followed the arrest of alleged wildlife trafficker Hadis Rahman in Chakaria, Cox's Bazar, a day earlier. Information obtained during the investigation led authorities to the warehouse, where the rescued animals had reportedly been assembled for smuggling abroad.

According to Wildlife Crime Control Unit Inspector Asim Mallik, several of the rescued species command high prices in international wildlife trafficking networks. Yet few are as sought after as the great hornbill, prized for its striking appearance and distinctive oversized beak.

For generations, the bird's powerful silhouette was a familiar sight above the dense canopies of southeastern Bangladesh. With its enormous wingspan, vivid yellow-and-black casque and habit of gliding between towering trees, the great hornbill earned a reputation as the forest's monarch.

Today, that monarch is steadily vanishing from its own kingdom.

Several species of hornbill are listed on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In 2018, the IUCN listed the species as "vulnerable".

IUCN wildlife researcher Simanta Dipu says, "30 to 40 years ago, the great hornbill was commonly seen in the country's hilly areas. Now it has declined so sharply that it is found only in the deep forest areas of Sangu and Kachalong. The bird is declining solely because of hunting and the loss of mature nesting trees."

According to wildlife experts and rescuers, the great hornbill in Bangladesh is facing an existential crisis under the threefold pressure of deforestation, habitat destruction and international wildlife trafficking networks. 

Asim Mallik said these birds, hunted from the forests of the Chattogram Hill Tracts, are first moved through local middlemen to Chattogram, then to Dhaka, and from there smuggled abroad using various border routes and air routes. The beak of this hornbill species is sold in the international black market for $3,000 to $4,000, depending on the type. After Hadisur Rahman was arrested, new information of this kind emerged during the investigation.

Mallik added that this is not an isolated incident; rather, a well-organised network centred on the hill tracts has long been involved in wildlife trafficking through links with local hunters, collectors, transporters and international buyers. From the deep forest to the international market, the animals change hands at least 30 to 40 times.

Dipanwita Bhattacharya, Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation Officer of the Forest Department in Chattogram, told TBS, "Several layers of criminal networks have developed around hornbill trafficking. Chattogram and Dhaka are used as hubs. In addition, large numbers of wild animals are being smuggled through border areas, Feni, Naikhongchhari in Bandarban and other insecure border points."

She said it is difficult to say how many people in Chattogram are involved in such activities. However, even after being arrested with wild animals and sent to jail, many later secure bail and return to their old crimes.

The crore-taka temptation of the 'red ivory' market

In various countries around the world, the hard upper part of the beak of hornbill species, known as the casque, has long been used as a raw material for luxury carving art. In the international black market, it is known as "hornbill ivory" or "red ivory".

These casques are carved into rings, earrings, seals, belt buckles, decorative sculptures and various collectible items. Among wealthy collectors in China in particular, such products are regarded as symbols of prestige and luxury.

If the destruction of old-growth forests in the Chattogram Hill Tracts, the felling of large trees and the activities of trafficking networks are not brought under control, the presence of the great hornbill in Bangladesh may shrink even further within the next few decades. Without stronger border surveillance, monitoring of online sales, conservation of hill forests and initiatives to reduce demand for these products in the international market, it will be difficult to protect the great hornbill.

Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, Director, Wildlife Crime Control Unit

An international research and conservation report titled 'The Helmeted Hornbill Rhinoplax vigil and the Ivory Trade: The Crisis That Came Out of Nowhere' states that between March 2012 and August 2014, at least 2,170 helmeted hornbill heads or casques were seized in Indonesia and China, clearly indicating the scale of the illegal trade. The study further noted that "the casques are carved for commercial sale" — meaning that these seized casques were directly carved and marketed as luxury products. 

According to experts, in recent years demand for this material, known as "red ivory", has risen rapidly among China's wealthy classes, further accelerating hunting and trafficking. A National Geographic report said this demand has emerged largely as a symbol of status and luxury among "China's new rich", resulting in increasing pressure on hornbill species through organised international smuggling networks.

According to information from international research and conservation organisations, China's Guangdong and Fujian regions have long been among the main markets for such products. Traffickers use Hong Kong as a transit point, Thailand and Malaysia as regional trade centres, and the Laos-Myanmar border as a supply route. Later, carved items made from hornbill beaks are sold in selected shopping malls and jewellery shops in elite tourist cities.

In recent years, secret trading of these products has also increased through encrypted messaging apps, Facebook groups and dark web platforms, according to the international research report.

According to research data by N J Collar of BirdLife International, based on Pembroke Street in Cambridge, United Kingdom, at least 2,170 hornbill heads or casques were seized in Indonesia and China between March 2012 and August 2014. Conservationists say that if the seized consignments alone are this large, the actual scale of trafficking may be many times higher. A significant portion of this demand is met by Bangladesh's great hornbill and pied hornbill.

A hunter involved in wildlife hunting in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that after being hunted, great hornbills or pied hornbills are handed over to international traffickers. The traffickers then separate different parts of the birds' bodies and prepare them for sale in the illegal market.

He claimed that because of the hornbill's long and attractive beak, the bird is often killed by strangulation. Traffickers believe that when the bird is killed by suffocation, blood gathers towards the beak and casque, causing the naturally yellowish parts to take on a reddish tint. Such reddish casques, or "red ivory", are in higher demand in the international market, and this method is followed for that reason.

From the hills, via Chattogram, to Dhaka

Siddiqur Rahman Rabbi, who has long been involved in wildlife rescue activities in Chattogram, said that the Chittagong Hill Tracts have been used for many years as an important source and route for wildlife trafficking.

For generations, the Hornbill’s powerful silhouette was a familiar sight above the dense canopies of southeastern Bangladesh.

He said local hunters first collect birds and other animals from the hill forests. These are then brought to Chattogram through trafficking agents. From there, they are supplied to some collectors and traders in Dhaka. After that, one portion goes to different countries via India, while some consignments are smuggled abroad through air cargo. According to Rabbi, the breeding season of hornbills is the most convenient time for traffickers.

After laying eggs, the female hornbill almost completely seals the entrance of the tree cavity using mud, saliva and feathers. The male bird then provides food from outside through a small opening.

Rabbi said, "Hunters identify nests during this period and break open the cavity. As a result, the mother bird, eggs or chicks are captured together. In many cases, the male bird is also killed."

Buyers from home and abroad

Rabbi, the Wildlife rescuer, said the target of trafficking is not only the international market; within the country too, there is a class of collectors who acquire the heads, horns, skins or other body parts of wild animals as showpieces. Those concerned said a silent market still exists for items such as hornbill heads or beaks, deer antlers and wildlife skins.

According to information from the Wildlife Crime Control Unit, advertisements for the sale of baby hornbills are also sometimes found on social media, which is a new tactic used by trafficking networks.

Commenting on the declining presence of hornbills in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, wildlife photographer and media worker Samir Mallik said that two types of hornbill are mainly seen in Bangladesh — the great hornbill and the pied hornbill.

Of these, the great hornbill is extremely rare and is now largely confined to some remote forest areas of Bandarban.

He noted that the presence of the great hornbill was once comparatively higher in different parts of the Chittagong Hill Tracts. But in recent years, sightings have declined significantly.

The pied hornbill, on the other hand, is still seen in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Sylhet and some parts of the Hazarikhil Wildlife Sanctuary in Chattogram.
Extinction will affect the entire forest ecosystem

According to conservationists, the great hornbill is not merely a bird; it is an important indicator of the health of hill forests. This bird eats various forest fruits and disperses seeds over long distances, helping new trees to grow. As a result, if hornbills decline, the entire regeneration process of the forest ecosystem may be harmed.

The problem is made more complex by their slow breeding rate. A pair usually raises one or two chicks a year. Once their numbers fall, it takes a long time for the population to recover.

In the sights of international trafficking networks

Inspector Asim Mallik said international networks are active around the beaks of great hornbills found in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region.

He said, "The beak of the great hornbill is carved to make various luxury items. There is demand for it in the international market. Buyers of these products are found in several countries, including China, Japan and Thailand."

According to him, traffickers now use a multidimensional network involving border routes, road routes, air routes and online platforms.

He said three great hornbills have been rescued in different operations this year.

Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, Director of the Wildlife Crime Control Unit, said, "If the destruction of old-growth forests in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the felling of large trees and the activities of trafficking networks are not brought under control, the presence of the great hornbill in Bangladesh may shrink even further within the next few decades."

He said, "Without stronger border surveillance, monitoring of online sales, conservation of hill forests and initiatives to reduce demand for these products in the international market, it will be difficult to protect the great hornbill — the 'king of the forest'."