Endangered bull killed by truck in Vietnam's Central Highlands

By VnExpress   February 19, 2017 | 08:25 pm PT
It is estimated that only 300 gayals are left in Vietnam.

A rare and endangered gayal has died after it was reportedly hit by a truck in a national park in Vietnam’s Central Highlands.

The animal, weighing around 800 kilograms (1,764 lbs) and seven years of age, was found dead near a truck in Chu Mom Ray National Park in Kon Tum Province, the Lao Dong (Labor) news site reported on Sunday, quoting the park’s deputy director, Dao Xuan Thuy.

There was no evidence of poaching, he added.

endangered-bull-killed-by-truck-in-central-highlands

The dead gayal was found in Chu Mom Ray National Park in Kon Tum Province. Photo courtesy of Chu Mom Ray National Park

The front of the truck, which was carrying materials for construction of a local road, was damaged.

The gayals in the park are strictly protected. They often live in groups of four to six. It is likely that the animal was killed when it was crossing the road, said Thuy.

Vietnam has about 300 gayals which live mainly in the Central Highlands and nearby provinces. Their numbers have sharply declined from 500 in the 1990s and more than 3,000 in 1970s.

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