Bird boxes for hornbills

Dizzying heights: Saifuladha and Ahmad Sapie using harnesses to scale about 20m up a durian tree to instal a hornbill nesting box in Batu Rakit, Terengganu. — Photo courtesy of Sanjitpaal Singh/jitspics.com

WHEN two pairs of great hornbills in Batu Rakit, Terengganu lost their vital nesting trees, a team of intrepid conservationists built artificial nests in the shape of boxes for them to continue breeding.

Led by Dr Ravinder Kaur, a conservationist specialising in hornbills, the team completed its mission to instal two nest boxes on durian trees – the first such effort in Peninsular Malaysia.