COME AND SUPPORT: Ting (seated fourth right) with his committee after the meeting in preparation for the third Hornbill Walk.
PROTECTED SPECIES: A baby hornbill spotted at Piasau Camp on Monday.
COME FIND ME: Fluffy up for hunt during the walk.
MIRI: The third Hornbill Walk held to drum up support and to call on the government to turn Piasau Camp into a permanent Hornbill Park will be held at the camp this Saturday.
The walk kicking off at 4pm is coordinated by the Piasau Camp Hornbill Park Society protem committee, headed by Datuk Sebastian Ting, former political secretary to ex-Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water Datuk Seri Peter Chin.
Other members include professionals from the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), Miri Chapter, oil and gas companies, the health industry as well as community leaders and naturalists.
Ting urged Mirians to come out in full force to join the walk to show support for the creation of Piasau Hornbill Park.
“We expect a good response this time probably more than 500, more than the first and second walk recently. A lot of them have been asking ‘When is the next walk?” Ting said when chairing the committee meeting yesterday.
The starting point for the walk will still be at the former Tenby International School at Piasau Camp where there will be a mini exhibition on the latest development of hornbills in the camp.
“For those who want to know more and win mystery prizes, come early for the short briefing by MNS Miri Chapter and forestry honorary ranger Musa Musbah. Fluffy, a soft toy bird donated by naturalists Dave Paton and his wife Mairead Boland will be there for the lucky treasure hunters,” he added.
On the sideline, 300 beautifully designed T-shirts will be on sale at RM20 (cost price) before the walk to raise funds for the society to run its awareness programmes.
Those coming for the walk are reminded to help keep the camp clean and to bring plastic gloves to help pick up rubbish during the walk.
Meanwhile, Musa said the family of Oriental Pied Hornbills (Faridah and Jimmy and their offspring Utet and Nong, and the younger ones Ah Kow and Ah Moi) are still happily residing in Piasau Camp and at times were spotted flying over to the city and its outskirts.
“To preserve these hornbills, leave them alone and don’t hunt them for food.
They are our heritage and treasure and we want historical Piasau Camp to be turned into a permanent park for all to enjoy,” Musa stressed.
Hornbills are now a totally protected species under the state’s Wild Life Protection Ordinance (1998) while Piasau Camp is rich in history related to the city’s oil and gas industry.
The call to gazette the camp as a permanent hornbill park is urgent as the camp, which was leased to Shell Malaysia, will be closed next month.
Shell and Sarawak Forestry Corporation recently indicated their support for the camp to be turned into a permanent hornbill park.