Horrific video of Great Indian Hornbill being tortured, goes viral; 3 arrested

A blood-curdling video of a Great Indian Hornbill being brutally tortured and killed has gone viral on digital media. The highly distressing video shows a man attacking the bird with a bamboo log while the other person holds it with its wings. As the bird struggled on the ground, people gathered around did not make any attempt to save it. Moments later, one of the accused stamped the bird's neck and pressed its beak. The bird appeared lifeless after the gruesome assault in Nagaland’s Wokha district. The Great Hornbill is a protected bird listed as ‘vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for the uninitiated. 

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Instagram user DCP Expeditions LLP posted this video with the details of the incident in the caption.

After being posted online, the video infuriated social media users, who also asked for stringent against the culprits. A user wrote, "That's heinous! I couldn't believe my eyes when the first scene emerged as the blow came down on the bird!!!" Another person commented, "This is horrifying.... I thought Nagaland has become better in treating birds.... But seems earlier barbaric activities still going on :(" A third said, ”Absolutely inhuman.....how is this even justifiable?? Is there any way the culprits can be punished?”

According to sources, Nagaland police arrested three people under the Wildlife and Arms Act for troubling and slaughtering the bird. The accused identities have not been disclosed. The wildlife department is investigating further, and the weapon used has been seized. The parts of the hornbill have also been recovered. Watch the video.

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