Rangers and volunteers release two civets in Son Tra reserve in Da Nang. The two animals were rescued by rangers after their mother was killed (Photo courtesy Bui Thanh Lang) Da Nang (VNA) - A wildlife rescue and conservation team, with the support of the Da Nang-based Douc Langur Foundation, has released two civets – an endangered species – and an Asian water monitor, in the Son Tra Nature Reserve.
A team member said the animals were returned to their habitat at a secret location in the jungle.
Bui Thanh Lang, a volunteer, said the two civets were treated at the Son Tra-Ngu Hanh Son Ranger sub-department, while the lizard was captured by a family in the city.
Lang said the three animals were healthy before being returned to nature.
This is the third time that local rangers and volunteers have released wildlife in the area.
Rapid urbanisation and illegal logging have encroached on habitats and threatened biodiversity of two nature reserves – the Ba Na-Nui Chua and Son Tra – in the city.
The 4,439ha Son Tra Reserve, located 600m above sea level, is home to 370 animal species and 1,010 plant species.
The reserve, 10km from Da Nang, has 43 plant species listed as endangered in Vietnam’s Red Book and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
More than 237 herds of the endangered red-shanked douc langurs with over 1,300 individuals are living in the Son Tra Nature Reserve.
Meanwhile, the 28,000ha Ba Na-Nui Chua, provides shelter to 626 animal species and 793 plant species, including several endangered primates such as the northern buffed-cheeked gibbon and Edwards’s pheasant, which are rarely seen in nature.
Standing 1,487m above sea level, it was initially used as a mountain resort by the French in 1912 and currently remains a tourist attraction./.
VNA
