Rescue of Hornbill and Slow Lorises Illustrates What’s Wrong with the Exotic Pet Trade

When the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand received a call from a woman who had rescued a juvenile white crowned hornbill and two Bengal slow lorises from a market, they immediately went to save them. But it wasn’t so easy; the woman who had rescued the animals had put them on a public bus … Luckily, the bus was headed to a town that was very close to the WFFT Wildlife Rescue Centre!

Thankfully, the team was eventually able to track the bus down. But what they saw was horrifying: the animals were in very small wire cages and cardboard boxes – no place for a wild animal. They had most likely spent the past few days in these boxes without any food or water.

According to WFFT’s Facebook post, the hornbill couldn’t even move in the cage, and his tail feathers were nearly completely chopped off.

It’s especially lucky that this hornbill was saved, considering the white-crowned hornbill is under constant threat from habitat loss due to logging and turning forests into agricultural land, as well as the exotic pet trade.

Likewise, the Bengal slow loris faces threat from habitat loss. Not only that, but slow lorises are hunted for food, sport, and traditional medicines, as well as for the exotic pet trade. The Bengal slow loris population has been reduced by more than 30 percent in just three generations – and that number is expected to grow.

When these cuties arrived at the WFFT Wildlife Hospital, they received immediate medical attention. The hornbill was extremely dehydrated and undernourished.

WFFT says that he was most likely stolen from the wild nest of his parents. The lorises, too, were in extremely poor condition but are slowly recovering.

These shocking photos remind us that animals should never be taken into captivity. A cardboard box is NO place for a wild animal like a hornbill or loris to or thrive; nor should they ever be taken in as exotic pets. If you’d like to learn more about WFFT and their work, visit their website and consider making a donation.

All Image Source: Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand/Facebook