On December 29, the Dat Do Commune Police confirmed they had coordinated with local authorities and the Mobile Forest Protection and Fire Prevention Unit No. 3 (under the Ho Chi Minh City Forest Protection Department) to receive a rare great hornbill found in a residential area.

On the evening of December 28, Nguyen Sy Sang (25), a resident of Hoa Hoi neighborhood in Dat Do commune, was watering plants when he noticed a large black bird with a yellow beak in a bush near his front yard.

When Sang approached, the bird flapped its wings repeatedly but didn’t attempt to fly away. Seeing it was likely injured or exhausted, he decided to keep it safe and report it.

Upon closer inspection, the bird had a wingspan of nearly one meter and weighed around 3kg. Sang placed it in a chicken cage and immediately notified local police and relevant authorities.

Representatives from the Ho Chi Minh City Forest Protection Department identified the bird as a great hornbill, scientific name Buceros bicornis. It is listed as a Group IB species in Vietnam’s catalogue of endangered, rare, and precious animals.

According to the department, Group IB includes species under strict protection due to the risk of extinction. Any capture, trade, or possession of such animals without proper authorization is prohibited by law.

Thanks to the prompt action of the resident, the hornbill is now under the care of wildlife protection agencies for further evaluation and release into the wild.

Quang Hung