By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, July 20: The Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) is investigating the cause of death of an Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) after the bird carcass was found in a bushy area along Jalan Baram, Miri.
SFC said its team retrieved the carcass after the discovery went viral on social media and brought it to the SFC Miri Regional Office for further examination.
“The examination is being carried out to determine the possible cause of death,” SFC said in a Facebook post today.
The Oriental Pied Hornbill, also known as Enggang Kelingking, is one of eight hornbill species found in Sarawak and Borneo.
The species is considered iconic in Miri due to its significance and connection with the local community, particularly in the Piasau area.
Globally, the Oriental Pied Hornbill is listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), meaning it is not currently considered threatened.
However, SFC noted that threats such as habitat loss, destruction of nesting trees and land-use changes continue to put pressure on local populations in certain areas.
In Malaysia, the species is fully protected under the Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1998, with SFC responsible for its management and monitoring in Sarawak through wildlife law enforcement, population monitoring and habitat conservation efforts.
SFC said the Oriental Pied Hornbill population in Miri has increased steadily since Piasau Camp was identified as a nesting site by the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) in 2008, followed by the gazettement of Piasau Nature Reserve in 2013.
The species has also been recorded in Seria, Brunei, particularly in areas with remaining forest and green spaces.
SFC highlighted that Sarawak, Brunei and Borneo as a whole form part of an interconnected tropical forest landscape, allowing the species to move and utilise habitats across administrative boundaries.
Following the incident, SFC urged residents, especially those living in areas with increasing Oriental Pied Hornbill populations from Piasau to Kuala Baram in Miri, to remain cautious and slow down while driving to prevent similar incidents. – DayakDaily
