A week ago, the 3.8kg pangolin was transferred to forest rangers in the town of Huong Thuy by a local man who discovered and captured it at the edge of a road. At the time, the animal was in poor health and was tended to by the rangers until its condition improved.
Pangolins are the most trafficked animal in the world. Vietnam is home to two pangolin species, the sunda pangolin and the Chinese pangolin (manis pentadactyla), both listed as Critically Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Red List, and are near extinction.
Local people also voluntarily handed over two endangered animals – a Bourret's box turtle and a stump-tailed macaque – to forest rangers in the district of Nam Dong on July 15. The rangers have been providing the 50kg turtle and 6kg macaque with medical care so they can be released into the wild as soon as possible.
Locals in Thua Thien-Hue have a history of rescuing wild animals in their neighbourhoods, which are later transferred to authorities. These moves have contributed to local efforts to protect endangered species and preserve biodiversity.
