Launching a campaign to preserve rare animals

On September 22, in Hanoi, a kick-off workshop of a project funded by the Darwin Initiative Fund, "Can hunting and conservation of ungulate mammals be preserved?" and the donation ceremony of signature support for Sao La.

The workshop was jointly organized by WWF Vietnam, Thua Thien Hue Forest Protection Department, Quang Nam, Vinh University, Hue University, Hue Institute of Biotechnology and Natural Resources, and Bach Ma National Forest. attended by researchers, conservation managers, forest rangers and government officials.

Indiscriminate hunting in narrow areas has pushed this species to the brink of extinction.(Photo: WW)

About 26,000 signatures were collected from more than 150 countries around the world. This number has great significance for the relentless efforts of conservationists for rare and precious species of Sao La.

Efforts to preserve Sao La have undergone many difficulties, not just the lack of basic information about the role of hunting for communities. This project focuses more on in-depth research on this topic in order to develop an effective plan to preserve Sao La.

In addition to research, the project will also enhance the capacity of the leading universities in the region, as well as create an impact on local communities and the Government's forest management system through integration. between WWF Vietnam and Durell Ecology and Conservation Institute, Forest Protection Department, Vinh University, and Hue University.

" After a period of work, we have also found funding to get the information needed to protect these rare animals. WWF has shown that people around the world are interested in Sao La. And so I believe we will be able to get support to act, "said Nicolas Wilkinson, project officer.

Ms. Tran Minh Hien, Director of WWF Vietnam said: " Save Sao La, now or never. That is the message that WWF wants to convey to Vietnamese agencies and agencies, to the press and to the east. Public islands Sao La conservation needs the attention and participation of all of us ".

Sao La ( Pseudoryx nghetinhensis ) lives in remote valleys of the Truong Son range along the border between Vietnam and Laos. Sao La is a very rare animal, discovered in the 1990s. Although very small population, indiscriminate hunting in narrow living areas has pushed this species to the brink of extinction. Currently, Sao La is considered an " extremely endangered " species in the IUCN Red List, and faces a very high risk of extinction in nature.