A Vietnamese businessman is at the center of criticism after he posted photos of himself posing with slaughtered wild birds, thought to be of the vulnerable great hornbill species, and boasting about eating the feathered animals.

Tuan Kiet, director of a company based in Ho Chi Minh City, shared the controversial photos on Facebook on Sunday, in which he could be seen smiling and holding the already slaughtered and defeathered birds by their bills.

“Anyone want to grab a drink? I can’t finish these birds by myself,” Kiet wrote in a caption under the photos.

The post went viral on the social media site, as users accused the entrepreneur of killing and eating an endangered species.

Great hornbills are listed as a ‘vulnerable’ species with a decreasing population by the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species.

There are currently around 13,000-27,000 mature great hornbills worldwide, mainly in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, according to IUCN statistics.

The bird’s iconic bill is said to be even more expensive than elephant tusks and rhino horns, costing thousands of U.S. dollars per kilogram on the black market, according to Le Van Tanh, director of the forest protection department of Binh Phuoc Province in southern Vietnam,

Binh Phuoc is home to the Bu Gia Map National Park, a major conservation area for the rare birds.

A great hornbill in its natural habitat is seen in this photo on the official website of IUCN.

“However, great hornbills also exist in other national parks in Vietnam as well as in Laos and Cambodia,” Tanh said.

“There is insufficient evidence to suggest the birds killed in the photos uploaded online were from Binh Phuoc.”

Tanh added that the birds showed in the photos could belong to a more common species of the hornbill family, though a definitive conclusion is not possible from just a few pictures.

Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper has reached out to the Facebook account where the photos were posted but the paper has not received any response.

As of Tuesday, the original post has been removed from the account by its owner.

Tanh said the forest protection department of Binh Phuoc has requested cooperation from Ho Chi Minh City authorities in confirming the entrepreneur’s identity and getting in touch with the man for questions.

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