13 February 2023, KUALA LUMPUR - Alila Bangsar is committed to making a positive impact through initiatives that support local communities such as raising awareness to protect the wildlife in Malaysia. These values are close to the heart of Alila Bangsar and in view of its importance, the hotel is joining forces with Xploregaia to help conserve Malaysia's endangered Helmeted Hornbills. Gaia focuses on the conservation of hornbill habitats and welfare in Malaysia. Alila Bangsar’s main goals are to raise awareness and funds to promote their field work and to ensure the welfare of the hornbills by restoring natural nesting sites.
Alila Bangsar’s new collaborative partner is Gaia, a Malaysian social enterprise established in 2015. Founded by PhD graduate in Ecology from University Malaya, Dr. Ravinder Kaur and multi-international award-winning photographer Sanjitpaal Singh, Gaia is dedicated to conserving hornbills in Sabah, Langkawi and Terengganu. There are a total of 10 species of hornbills in Malaysia and the majestic Helmeted Hornbill is currently listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. As Hornbills are monogamous birds that mate for life, they are more at risk of extinction. Furthermore, their endangered status is exacerbated by poachers and deforestation, making Gaia's work incredibly important. In 2017, one of these artificial nest boxes pioneered by HUTAN-KOCP was successfully used by a pair of Rhinoceros hornbills -– the world's first wild Rhinoceros hornbill to successfully nest in an artificial structure.
Collaboration is a major part of Gaia's work as mentioned by Dr Ravinder ,“Conservation efforts are more impactful when collaborating with local governments, NGOs and local communities including several State Department of Wildlife and National Parks such as PERHILITAN and international organisations. In that same spirit, we are grateful to Alila Bangsar for this important collaboration.”
The Alila Bangsar is aware of the importance of this cause, as the hotel's general manager, Nancy Cheah, explains, "As part of our commitment to the conservation of our country's majestic endangered-bird, the Helmeted Hornbill, we aim to contribute by raising awareness and funds to support Gaia’s continuous conservation efforts.” The hotel will also feature hand painted art merchandises of hornbills designed by the well-known Malaysian wildlife artist, Suzi Chua who focuses on creating realistic animal portraits to raise awareness about animal welfare. These priceless collectables will be available on sale at the hotel for the collaboration.
Guests of Alila Bangsar can enjoy the stunning photography exhibition by Sanjitpaal Singh, which runs throughout the month of February 2023. The exhibits are displayed in the lobby of Alila Bangsar on Level 41. The exhibition features stunning photographs of various hornbill species in their natural habitat. The collaboration between Alila Bangsar and Gaia is part of the continuous efforts to elevate the awareness of the dedicated work Gaia is doing, which is increasing scientific knowledge of hornbills, and implementing consistent conservation measures in Malaysia.
