This police officer commented that a pair of Raj Dhanesh birds is sold to the traffickers for four lakh rupees.
OC Kamal Uddin said that as the mobile court proved the offense under section 34(b) of the Wildlife Conservation and Safety Act 2012, each of the two arrested persons was sentenced to six months imprisonment in the presence of forest department officials and Assistant Commissioner (Lands).
The rescued Raj Dhanesh birds are being sent to four Chittagong zoos, the OC also said.
Raj Dhanesh
Raj Dhanesh (Great Indian Hornbill) is one of the four species of hornbills found in Bangladesh.
Dhanesh bird of this species lives in the dense forests of Chittagong Hill Tracts and Sylhet. This large black bird has a white spot on the feathers along the middle of the body.
The Dhanesh bird is famous for its ‘weird’ sight beak. Raj Dhanesh’s sickle-like curved lips and forehead are black, throat is yellow. The tail has black on white stripes. There are red rings in the eyes.
Dhanesh birds live in pairs. Dhanesh spends his entire life within the ring of a particular area.
The Raj Dhanesh bird is listed as ‘Endangered’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List.