Valparai, stands tall with lush green spread of mountains and forest all around. It is a hill station in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India. Valparai is noted for Elephants (Elephas maximus indicus), Wild boars (Sus scrofa), Lion-tailed macaques (Macaca silenus), Gaur (Bos gaurus), Leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis), Wild Dogs (Cuon alpinus), Spotted deer (Axis axis), Sambar (Rusa unicolor), Leopard (Panthera pardus), Tiger (Panthera tigris) and Giant squirrels (Ratufa indica). It is one of the places that you shouldn’t miss travelling to. I visited this place many times… each visit like a process of rejuvenation for me… four days away from work, family, and away from the outside world… a complete hibernation. This is the beautiful land I fly to, all the way from Dubai to visit them, the Great Indian Hornbills!
Unfortunately due to habitat loss and hunting in some areas, the Great hornbill (Buceros bicornis) is classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Tribal people threaten the great Indian hornbill by hunting it for its various body parts. The beaks and head are used in charms and the flesh is believed to be medicinal. The great hornbill is the state bird of Kerala and Arunachal in India.
My thoughts about the Great Indian Hornbill somehow always gets related to the surreal love. I was attracted to this species by learning the story of its unconditional love towards its partner. It is said that male Hornbill is a caring father. Their breeding season is usually from January to April. When the time comes for the female Hornbill to lay eggs, the male Hornbill would call upon the Wood Pecker to peck the tree and make a hole for the female to sit and lay eggs. The female Hornbill does not come out from the hole till the chicks begin to fly.
During this nursing period, the father neatly covers the hole with mud and sticky fluid from the trees to protect the mother and chicks from predators. Very interestingly, he would fly far distances in search of healthy food to feed them. He supplies food through the neatly netted hole through which the mother opens her beak to receive the food from her loving and caring partner. During this period the female undergoes a complete moult. Two eggs are usually laid and the female incubates them for a month. The male takes good care of the mother and offsprings till the chicks begin to fly. During this time if the male finds another partner or worse, gets hunted or preyed upon, the chances of the mother and offspring making it out alive are slim. At best the mother will break the nest and come out by herself, leaving the chicks to a certain death. How beautiful their life is, a lesson in trust and commitment!
The moments I spend with these beautiful species are unforgettable, and the rains here make the setting more appealing. I have waited long praying for the sighting of this beauty in the rain… It’s the perfect frame for me. It still remains a dream to capture a frame of this giant beauty in the rain. As always, I continue to wait, patiently…
