Endangered douc bought back from captor

By Duc Hung November 24, 2021 | 11:08 pm PT

A red-shanked douc is handed over to the Vu Quang National Park in Ha Tinh Province. Photo by VnExpress/Hung Le

An endangered red-shanked douc was handed over to authorities by a man in the north central province of Ha Tinh, who had bought it from its captor.

The Vu Quang National Park on Wednesday said it received the douc from forest protection services of Ky Anh Town.

A few days prior, Nguyen Hong Dinh, a local from Ky Anh, saw a person catching a douc during a trip to the nearby Quang Binh Province. Aware of its endangered status, Dinh bought the animal, took care of it and eventually handed it to authorities.

"The unit is sending personnel to take care of and monitor the health of the douc. We would release it back into the wild in future," a representative of the national park said.

The red-shanked douc (Pygathrix nemaeus) is listed as critically endangered in accordance with the IUCN Red List. Hunting and habitat loss are major threats to its survival.