Douc langur handed over to national park in Vietnam

Douc langur handed over to national park in Vietnam

QUANG BINH - The Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in the central Quang Binh Province has received a douc langur from a local resident.

The mammal, with the scientific name Pygathrix nemaeus, is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Pham Van Minh, a resident of the province's Le Thuy District, found the little langur in his rubber plantation six months ago and kept it captive in his home.

After the langur developed a digestive disorder and lost weight recently, Minh decided to hand it over to the park authorities.

The park's veterinary staff said the langur weighed 2.5kg and was quite weak. They will take care of the langur and train it in its natural habit, before releasing it into the wild.

Minh said someone had visited him to buy the langur, but he was aware of the ban on trade in wild animals.

The douc langur is endemic to provinces extending from the central Nghe An to the southern Tay Ninh and some locations in Lao. Vietnamese laws ban hunting, caging, trading and transport of wild animals.

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