A man could be jailed for up to five years after after allegedly shooting dead a rare protected species of bird. Malaysian national Bobiean Sikro was photographed after allegedly killing a hornbill bird in Indonesia. "Just enter this forest immediately shot this," he wrote in a now deleted post to Facebook on Tuesday, along with multiple photos showing him posing with the large dead bird.

Social media users slammed Mr Sikro for his actions, with his post going viral before he deleted his personal Facebook account, IND News reported. Hornbill is a protected species in both Indonesia and Malaysia. A Government official shared to social media it had been made aware of the post and had launched an investigation. "The Perhilitan Peninsular Malaysia Department has received some Facebook user reporting since these few days in relation to a picture of a man who shows a bird who is suspected to (be) hunted," a translated post on Friday, local time, read.

"The public is reminded so that it does not keep all species of hornbill in peninsular Malaysia, as it is a wildlife species fully protected under the Wildlife Conservation Act." The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) confirmed the hornbill bird was protected by law, and said if the perpetrators are caught, they will be sentenced to a maximum of five years imprisonment and a maximum fine equivalent to $25,000.

Many species of the hornbills are going extinct. According to the data MNS has collected between 2004 and 2018, more species of the hornbills are endangered and might go extinct if immediate actions aren't taken. Peninsular Malaysia has 10 species of Hornbills, while Borneo has eight. In 2004, only one of the 10 species were classified as vulnerable, but in a span of less than two decades, eight out of the 10 species are now facing extinction (at different degrees) as they lose their habitat to development and poaching. Hornbills tend to travel far during the migration season, and the need large trees to nest in. The more forests we cut down, the more in danger the animals will be in.