Hornbill smuggling foiled

NARATHIWAT, June 12 (TNA) - Three baby hornbills were rescued roadside in Narathiwat as they would be picked up for delivery to the black market. Police inspected three small-holed boxes, placed near roadside shops on Narathiwat-Pattani No 42 road in Bacho district. They found three baby hornbills in plastic baskets inside the boxes and contacted the Khok Mai Rue wildlife nursery station to check on these reserved wild animal species. The birds were taken to the nursery as they cannot eat on their own at the moment. The birds will be nurtured for at least one year before being released back to the wild. The police presumed that they were captured from the forest by order and the seller made an appointment with customers to pick up the baby hornbills at the spots they were found. However, villagers alerted the police for inspection before the delivery is made. (TNA)