Good news. The authorities have taken action on the Great Hornbill killing. I salute them.

“An army officer and three of his subordinates who slaughtered a great pied hornbill and posed with the dead bird have been suspended from duties,” says The Star.

According to the newspaper, the Defence Minister said they would also be charged under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. The soldiers are apparently maintaining that the bird had been shot by a hunter.
“The bird fell to the ground and upon seeing the dying bird, they slaughtered it,” the Minister told reporters, adding that although the army personnel were not the ones who shot the hornbill, they should have tried to save it.

Hmm. I suspect the soldiers have done some quick thinking to mitigate the trouble they were in, but not to worry. The main thing is that this never happens again – that our armed forces realise that “totally protected” species means just that. And THEY are part of the protection.

Remember fellas – 30,000 RM fine and a jail term. Is it really worth the risk? And it’s YOUR heritage you so wilfully destroy.