Leopards sneak into the nest of precious birds to steal their young

“We went to the nest during a routine inspection to monitor the spawning and nest condition. When we got there, we heard rustling above. When we got to the foot of the nest, we found the baby bird still alive. half on the ground. We watched the video in the camera trap to see what happened.”two researchers Kyle-Mark Middleton and Carrie Hickman from the APNR Southern Hornbill Conservation and Research Project, said.

Video: Leopards sneak into precious birds’ nests to steal their young

The APNR project has been aimed at researching and conserving the hornbill for the past 22 years. Part of the conservation effort is the construction of artificial nests to facilitate breeding in areas where natural nests are no longer available.

The team said they were saddened to see what had happened.

“Losing a baby bird is a disaster for this endangered bird. Luckily we know the culprit. Usually we just find empty nests and assume the chicks were eaten. meat without knowing the real culprit,” said the research team.

House’s science confirmed that the timing of the camera traps helped them learn more about the natural predators that stalk the hornbills.

The research team is considering implementing anti-predator measures in artificial nests to protect the precious bird.