The first rehabilitated Sunda Pangolin had been released in Cat Tien National Park in southern part of Viet Nam, the Carnivore and Pangolin Conservation Programme (CPCP) in Viet Nam on Friday announced.
The first rehabilitated Sunda Pangolin had been released in Cat Tien National Park in southern part of Viet Nam, the Carnivore and Pangolin Conservation Programme (CPCP) in Viet Nam on Friday announced.
 |
| A Sunda Pangolin climbs on a tree after being released in the Cat Tien National Park. |
It was the first time in Viet Nam that a project has been set up to monitor the survival and movements of released pangolins. It is hoped that the results of this work will guide future release programmes that will reinforce depleted populations of the animal.
Six pangolins have responded well to the rehabilitation programme and will be transferred and released, one at a time, in Cat Tien National Park.
Programme manager Tran Quang Phuong said: "Re-introductions of confiscated pangolins has previously been conducted by forest rangers; however, these were done without comprehensive health checks and follow-up monitoring.
The success of the new release method remains unknown and there is a risk animals can transmit diseases into wild populations. Therefore the success of the project will be a key reference for future reintroductions of Sunda Pangolin into the wild.
The Sunda Pangolin is listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List as being globally threatened. It is one of the most exploited species of mammals in South-east Asia.
The species is hunted for its meat and to satisfy the demand for wild meat and for scales and skin for use in so-called "Chinese traditional medicine".
Populations are further threatened by rapid habitat loss.
(Source:VNS)
