In October 2001, Bruce Kekule wrote a story titled "On the verge of extinction" for the Bangkok Post's Nature section about an amazing bird that had been rediscovered in 1986 by his close friend and associate Phillip D. Round, Thailand's eminent ornithologist, after almost three decades of no sightings. Prior to that, it was thought to be extinct in the Kingdom. The bird was listed as a flagship species for conservation and put on Thailand's 15 reserved species list.
The Gurney's pitta (Pitta gurneyi) is a medium-sized passerine bird that completely disappeared from all lowland evergreen forest south of Prachuap Khiri Khan province where natural forest was destroyed primarily to grow palm and rubber trees except for one little patch in Krabi province. This site is known as Khao Nor Chuchi or Khao Pra-Bang Khram Wildlife Sanctuary _ the only known place in Thailand where the bird still survived. The area definitely needed extreme management to save this creature from extinction.
In historic times, the range of the Gurney's pitta was along the coast and inland areas on both sides of the Thai peninsula, in the provinces of Trang and Krabi on the western side, and Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani, Chumphon up to Prachuap Khiri Khan on the east.
It also survived in southern Burma where this beautiful bird was first discovered way back in 1875 by a wildlife specimen collector working for Allan Octavian Hume, a prominent ornithologist. The exotic bird was named rather prosaically after Hume's friend, J.H. Gurney, a fellow of the Zoological Society of London.
Lowland rainforests up to 200 metres above sea level are home to an unsurpassed diversity of flora and fauna including the Gurney's. Due to excessive human settlement and agriculture, this unique bird has diminished to the point of no return here in Thailand.
However, over in Burma, thousands are purported to survive after quite a few surveys since early 2003 when Jonathan Eames with BirdLife International and other associates found the bird at four different sites. Jonathan returned in 2004 and found more locations with the bird but political instability and very restrictive government regulations threaten to keep researchers away, while landmines and bandits further discourage access.
Since then, Dr Paul Donald of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has surveyed many areas and confirmed that almost all of the world's population of Gurney's pitta is located in Burma but the forests there are also being decimated for palm and rubber agriculture and hence, the bird there is still under serious threat. This granted the species a reassessment from the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), going from critically endangered to endangered.
This then became a pitched battle between conservationists, local villagers and the DNP. Forests were being cleared for palm and rubber and there was nothing the department or NGOs could do in certain areas because this land was outside the sanctuary and was the property of the locals. Forest destruction was severe and it put a terrible strain on the ecosystem.
Another very negative aspect is the visitation by hundreds of tourists almost daily at the Emerald Pond not far from the core area. This place use to be peaceful and beautiful, and a decade ago there were just a few noodle stands and trinket shops at the front. Now this has expanded 100% and has become a big business catering to the visitors. Buses and vans are parked everywhere. There are very few birds around the pond now and trash is a serious problem.
BirdLife International, BirdLife Denmark, DANCED, Bird Conservation Society of Thailand, the Oriental Bird Club and the RSPB have helped the DNP to implement numerous projects at Khao Nor Chuchi, but these efforts have only slowed rather than halted new settlements and the destruction of the forest.
The population of Gurney's pitta at Khao Nor Chuchi has declined drastically, dropping from an estimated 40 pairs in 1986 down to about 20 pairs in the mid-1990s'. At one abandoned nest, local researchers found bird (mist) nets placed by some people to capture this rare bird. The last estimate from various sources on the number of birds is less than ten individuals (both male and female) survive in the core area. This is serious and the prospect of extinction is truly depressing.
Unless Khao Pra-Bang Khram protection and enforcement can be quickly implemented and expanded to include all the remaining intact lowland forest, and previously cleared areas are reforested, the species in Thailand faces a very bleak future. Quick and decisive action is the only remedy and it is absolutely no use pointing the finger of blame on anyone.
As a flagship species for the conservation of southern Thailand's lowland rainforest, only time will tell if the Gurney's pitta can survive. If this beautiful creature disappears, it will be a sad day for nature conservation in the Kingdom.
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THREATENED OR EXTINCT SPECIES
Thailand's list of 15 reserved species is so outdated it is now covered in dust and needs updating. Two lists should be established: one for species that are truly extinct in the wild, and another list for rare creatures like tiger, leopard, gaur, banteng, Asian elephant, Asiatic bear and sun bear plus the remaining survivors shown below. There are also many other wild animals that need special status.
White-eyed river martin
- Presumed extinct globally since 1985-86. The last known specimens were from Bueng Boraphet Non-hunting Area in Nakhon Sawan province.
Javan rhino
- Once found in many large forests and now extinct in Thailand for more than 25 years.
Sumatran rhino
- Extinct in Thailand for more than a decade or two. A few individuals were reported in Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary. down south in Narathiwat province.
Kouprey or grey ox
- Extinct in northeastern Thailand for at least 30-50 years and absolutely no reports from Cambodia, although extensive surveys have been carried out. The Khmer Rouge during wartime poached the last few and is probably responsible for their demise.
Dugong or sea cow
- Extremely endangered in the seas of Thailand. There are a few survivors but are probably doomed by excessive fishing and tourism.
Wild water buffalo or Asiatic buffalo
- Endangered with about 50 individuals surviving in only one location: Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary in western Thailand.
Eld's deer
- There are two sub-species (Siamensis and the Burmese) and both are extinct in the wild of Thailand.
Schomburgk's deer
- Extinct globally since 1935. They were endemic to the Central Plains of Thailand and the last one was killed in a temple in Samut Prakan by a village drunk in 1932. Sad fact!
Serow
- These goat antelopes are endangered but they still survive in some mountainous areas that are protected. Their horns are eagerly sought after and used in making knives for fighting cocks in the South.
Chinese goral or grey tailed goral
- These goat antelopes are seriously endangered; a couple of hundred might live on mountaintops in northern Thailand.
Gurney's pitta or black-breasted pitta
- They are technically extinct in Thailand. There are a few individuals surviving in Khao Phra-Bang Kram Wildlife Sanctuary in Krabi.
Eastern Sarus crane
- Extinct in Thailand for more than 50 years. They do survive in Vietnam and Cambodia but their numbers are low.
Marbled cat
- They still survive in the thick evergreen forests of Thailand but their numbers are unknown.
Asian or Malayan tapir
- They still survive in the western flank of Thailand from Thung Yai Naresuan WS all the way down to Malaysia. However, they are hunted for bush meat in many places in the South.
Fea's muntjac
- They still survive in the western flank of Thailand from Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary all the way down to Phang Nga and Surat Thani in the South, and are hunted for meat throughout their range.
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