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Mission critical Saving the Southern Ground Hornbill from extinction

4805 13 is on the the writing wall. We are facing a crisis. Saving wildlife for future generations requires urgent and decisive action. And it’s not just animals such as the rhino and the African wild dog who are on the verge of extinction, but also the likes of the Southern Ground Hornbill that need to be saved. Now, thanks to the efforts of a dedicated team of conservationists and Airlink, these bird numbers are starting to look healthier.

Southern Ground Hornbills (Bucorvus leadbeateri) are special birds for various reasons. Besides being among the most iconic emblems and charismatic members of South Africa’s savannah fauna, they are also culturally revered and biologically unique. Like all hornbills, they nest in holes or hollows in trees and occasionally in rocky cliffs or earth banks. or rabid pests such as jackals, or indirectly by incorrect Assistant Manager Interestingly, they are the only hornbills not to seal up use of agricultural pesticides that poison insects Natasha Nienaber about the entrance to their nest cavity. but then, in turn, poison hornbills. They also face to board an Airlink flight On average, Southern Ground Hornbills can live as persecution for breaking windows when their highly from Phalaborwa to long as 50 years. However, they breed very slowly, only territorial nature has them fighting the ‘enemy’ seen Johannesburg with one fledging one chick every nine years. Also, they only in their reflections as well as being caught for the live of the harvested chicks start to breed when they are nine years old. They live in trade, killed for traditional medicine or electrocuted on groups of as many as nine birds but with only an alpha transformer boxes. pair that breeds. The rest of the group helps to defend What may save them is their natural insurance policy. the territory, feed the incubating female, and provision They usually lay two eggs about four to six days apart, for the chick when he hatches. Ground Hornbills need but only one of the chicks who hatch survives to extensive areas of savannah to roam. For example, in the fledging. If the first chick is strong and healthy, then Kruger National Park they require an average density of the parents will neglect the second chick and he dies 100km2 per group but up to 250km2 per group in the of starvation, dehydration or even maternal cannibalism. drier Limpopo Valley. All these factors make Ground However, if something is wrong with the first chick – if Hornbills vulnerable to extinction. The birds are now he is not feeding properly or is born with a deformity – officially on the endangered status in South Africa as then the parents will rear the second chick instead. This the population continues to decline. About half of the is their insurance policy to ensure all their efforts during population is safe within the borders of the greater the early breeding season bear fruit. Kruger region but the populations outside of this area The redundant second chick gives conservationists the are in trouble. chance to work towards slowing and ultimately reversing the population decline. One such initiative is the Mabula Natural insurance policy Ground Hornbill Project. After the first egg has hatched, Mission critical The myriad threats they face are mostly human- the Mabula Ground Hornbill Project, in collaboration with induced. Their natural predators in conservation areas the Endangered Wildlife Trust and the Percy FitzPatrick include leopard, caracal, honey badger and martial Institute of Ornithology, harvests these ‘doomed' second eagle and they are also prey to Newcastle's disease. chicks within a few days of their hatching. All of these have a massive impact on juvenile survival. However, these chicks then need to be swiftly and The adults that survive must then also avoid poisoning carefully transported to expert hand-rearers at a number either directly from poisoned bait put out for predatory of institutions that are committed to the future of these

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birds. These include the Mpumalanga Parks and Tourism The provision of flights for these chicks and a human Agency, Johannesburg Zoo, Montecasino Bird Gardens carer has completely changed the harvesting season, for and Boscia Birds. Stress is a large factor in compromising the team and for the chicks themselves. Before this, team the pink little chick's chances of survival, hence getting members used to drive the birds all the way from the the birds quickly and comfortably to the rearers is vital. nests to the waiting hand rearers at Johannesburg Zoo Here, Airlink has partnered with the project to help and Loskop Dam. These roundtrips often lasted well facilitate a stress-free journey to hand rearers. over 20 hours, putting strain on the vehicles, fuel budget Once harvested, the chicks board an Airlink flight and drivers. More importantly, the long transit time put from Phalaborwa or Nelspruit direct to the waiting hand strain on the chicks. Any amount of stress compromises rearers in Johannesburg. This speedy transit keeps stress their immune systems. Now that the long drives have to a minimum, gives the chicks a good chance of survival been abolished, the chicks are getting to the rearers and frees up valuable conservation time and funding faster and calmer, thereby significantly improving their that could be better spent on fuel, vehicle maintenance chances of survival. and expanding education and awareness programmes Once these harvested chicks fledge from their to protect the birds in rural areas. artificial nests, they become either valuable members of a captive-breeding programme coordinated by the National Zoological Gardens or are released by the About the Southern Ground Hornbill Mabula Ground Hornbill Project back into wild areas where they have become locally extinct. Thus far, all but two of the 11 harvested chicks have survived and are growing well. The surviving chicks, mostly from the Kruger National Park and the Associated Private Nature Reserves, are named after their nests: Karan Khaya (APNR), Mangake (KNP), Phalaborwa (KNP), Tinto (Phalaborwa Mining Company), Mokaikai (Mabula), Mudzadzene (KNP), Janovski (APNR), Hull (APNR) and Jumbo (KNP).

Text | Lucy Kemp Photography | Supplied

The Southern Ground Hornbill is now • They eat small animals, classed as an endangered species in anything from termites to South Africa and, without conservation snakes, making them respected intervention, it is projected we will across the continent for lose them in 50 to 100 years. They are their role in pest control. special birds for a number of reasons: • They are the largest birds in the • They are a flagship species, world to breed in cooperative threatened with extinction on groups of three to 12. Only Africa’s savannahs along with one pair breeds and the rest other charismatic animals such help them raise the chick. as rhinos, cheetah, secretary • Each group defends a huge You can help save the Southern Ground Hornbill. Send any birds and wild dogs. territory of 100 to 250km2. sighting records you have of ground-hornbill, especially • Only about 400 to 500 groups • Their deep booming calls can be outside of Kruger National Park. This is vital for monitoring remain in South Africa, half of them heard up to 5km away and are the health of the populations, and allows the Mabula Ground safe within the boundaries of the used as a natural alarm clock and Hornbill Project to find new groups and nests. Send any greater Kruger National Park. an African drumming rhythm. records or observation to [email protected].

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