Last year we moved
to Miri in Sarawak (one of the two Malaysian states on Borneo). The state is known for its Hornbills (they
are the state emblem) and tourist memorabilia is awash with the stuff. We picked up a few decent carvings before we
left as memories of our time there. Hornbills
are fairly ubiquitous and with their big beaks it is impossible to mistake them
for anything else. Our home was in a
suburban area and we did not get them in our garden but we could see them at
the beach just a short 5 minute drive away.
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| Hornbills, the state symbol of Sarawak are beautiful birds with a striking bill |
The closest
encounter I had, however, was during a trip to the Miri Zoo. My sister and I had taken the children (who
were desperate to show her the local crocodiles) and I decided to get a few
shots of one of the Hornbills in his cage.
The bird was either a thoroughly unpleasant individual or he was just
having a bad day (I wouldn't blame him on either count as I am sure he would
rather be living in the wild).
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| This one had his beady eye on me.... |
Whatever
the explanation he certainly took a dislike to me. One second he was sitting quite contentedly
on his perch, showing of his spectacular beak and plumage, the next he had
launched himself, screaming, directly at my face. I was thoroughly relieved to be separated
from this close relative to the harpy by a sturdy close mesh cage. He certainly
made me jump – quite a sight given that I was 37 weeks pregnant at the
time! The strange thing was that, having
made his feelings towards me quite clear, he returned to his habitual perch to
preen and show off to all the other visitors.
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| And decided to attack.... |
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| I was pleased to meet him in the zoo and not in the wild! |
I will enjoy my
hornbill carvings and the memories they contain of our all too short stint in
Sarawak but I will never be tempted to get close to the real thing again.
Posted on the Animal Tales linky hosted by Eco-Gites of Lenault
Click the picture below for more posts on life in Borneo
