Preventing the Slaughter of Precious Animals

The total funding for projects both domestically and internationally aimed at protecting rare birds and animals in the Central Truong Son region amounts to millions of USD. However, these species are being hunted and slaughtered in a brutally savage manner.

Red-faced monkey in Huong Lap forest, Huong Hoa district, Quang Tri province

After multiple investigations and studies, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and BirdLife International have determined that the Central Truong Son region, stretching from Quang Tri to Thua Thien-Hue, is home to many rare bird and animal species.

85 Rare Bird Species

Mr. Cao Dang Viet, a biodiversity conservation officer at the Quang Tri Forest Protection Department, stated that after several investigations in the forests of Huong Lap commune, scientists from both Vietnam and abroad have discovered 85 rare bird species residing there. Notably, several of these species are listed as threatened in Asia, including the Lesser Fish Eagle, the Forest Babbler, the Crested Serpent Eagle, the Brown-bellied Kingfisher, the Red-collared Woodpecker, the White-browed Crake, and the Common Koel… Additionally, there are 7 species listed in the Vietnam Red Book, including critically important birds like the Edwards’s Pheasant, the Grey-headed Partridge, the White-crested Kalij Pheasant, and the Black-faced Spoonbill (Lophura edwardsi, Lophura imperialis)…

Further south in Quang Tri province, scientists have repeatedly discovered herds of gaur (Bos gaurus) numbering between 12 to 15 individuals, living along the river basins of Ba Long and Vinh Dinh with a relatively wide range of movement. Another rare species is the Red Wolf (Cuon alpinus) in the Cua region of Cam Lo district, which lives in packs of 3 to 5. At peak times, the wolf population in Cua can reach over a hundred individuals.

Tiger Capture for Sale

However, the rare birds and animals in the Central Truong Son region face a significant threat from poaching. Most recently, in mid-June 2006, a gaur in Quang Tri forest was caught in a hunter’s trap. When the conservation staff from the Dakrong Nature Reserve arrived, the gaur was beyond saving. The animal’s head and four legs were removed for research purposes.

In Phong Dien district, Thua Thien-Hue province, rangers also discovered a group of illegal wildlife traders loading a tiger into a taxi for transport to the North for sale. Fortunately, thanks to timely information, the tiger was rescued and released back into the wild. Not only tigers are captured; many ethnic people in the mountainous areas of A Luoi and Dakrong have admitted to setting traps in the forest to catch sao la for their horns to sell to traders. In 2006 alone, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue provinces seized and released back into the wild tons of rare wildlife.

White-crested Kalij Pheasant discovered in Quang Tri

No Scheme Is Left Untried

Mr. Khong Trung, head of the Quang Tri Forest Protection Department, acknowledged that the forestry sector faces many challenges in protecting rare birds and animals. The main reason for this situation is the population pressure from people living within the nature reserves. These residents settled in the mountainous areas before the establishment of the nature reserves, making it very difficult to relocate them now. Moreover, many locals collude with poaching networks along the Ho Chi Minh Highway to illegally hunt and trade rare animals. These individuals spare no effort, aiming to capture as many wild animals as possible. They employ tactics such as paying locals in advance to set traps, capturing animals, and then taking them to collection points to sell to traders for distribution elsewhere. Mr. Khong Trung stated, “On average, each forest ranger must patrol and protect up to 4,000 hectares of forest. With few personnel and vast forests, even with our utmost efforts, we cannot complete the work.”