Jao Waew the Hornbill - Kanchanaburi, Thailand

He rocks! He's 4-and-a-half years old. He was brought to Thong Pha Phum National Park as a baby bird from somewhere and now has a giant mountain jungle all to himself. They say he is looking for a mate somewhere nearby. Everyone in the area knows him. He comes to the ranger station twice a day for bananas and other food. He'll even let you pet him. In the early morning and sometimes during the day you can hear his loud honking echoing all around.

I sure do love the sound his wings make when he flies. One evening, before I met him personally, he flew right by me when I least expected it and it sure gave me a shock. When he flew up on to that signpost he left behind a feather which is now my dear souvenir.

While others argue with me about this, I think when he hit me with his bill it was an accident. Just before that he was trying to shake off all of the rice that was stuck to his bill, and there was still some stuck on there when I put my finger near him. I think he was just trying to shake the rest off. If he didn't want us near him or he felt annoyed I think he would have flown away before then.

He's just one of the many awesome reasons we gotta protect our natural world. Animals rule!

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• hornbill
• thailand

[maliwahtallhei]

Imagine what would happen if it took a nosedive at you...