Posts Tagged ‘vietnam’

Aug
19

Vietnam’s Turtles

Posted by Peter in Animal Origins & Fun Facts,community-based conservation

Vietnam is considered one of the most important hotspots for turtle diversity in Asia with 25 different native species of tortoise and freshwater turtles including five soft-shell species and 20 other hard-shell turtle species. Vietnam also is home to at least two endemic species of turtles that are found nowhere else in the world, as well as the legendary Hoan Kiem turtle, Rafetus swinhoei, one of the most famous and rarest turtles in the world.

All of Vietnam’s turtles are threatened by hunting and trade to meet the insatiable demand mainly from consumers in China, where turtles are consumed in special dishes or used to make traditional medicine. Evidence suggests that wild populations of most turtle species in Vietnam have declined significantly over the past 15 years leaving fragmented and degraded populations surviving in the wild.

Education for Nature Vietnam’s Wildlife Crime Unit has documented 434 cases involving illegal hunting, smuggling, or trade of tortoises and freshwater turtles since 2005. These figures include 163 smuggling cases accounting for more than an estimated 25 tons of turtles or up to 30,000 individuals.

Given that only a small fraction of trade is believed to be apprehended, this would suggest that the quantity of turtles being smuggled to China is significantly higher.

In March 2010, Cuc Phuong National Park opened the doors to the region’s first visitor interpretation center focused exclusively on the conservation and protection of tortoises and freshwater turtles. Located on the grounds of the park’s Turtle Conservation Center (TCC), the new educational facilities incorporate a range of interpretive displays and exhibits including underwater viewing tanks, a turtle egg incubation and hatchling room, and a mock hunting camp  and forest trail. The Houston Zoo is proud to support the development of this new effort. To read the full press release – click here Turtle Conservation CenterVietnam

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Jul
25

Pangolin: Endangered by the Wildlife Trade

Posted by Peter in Endangered Species

The Pangolin, also called “Scaly Anteaters” are covered in tough, ovelapping scales – consider them the armadillo of the rainforest. They are a burrowing mammal which have a long, sticky tongue for eating ants and termites (much like South America’s Giant Anteater). Their body shape allows them to roll into a tight defensive  ball when threatened.

photo of mom and baby courtesy Carnivore and Pangolin Conservation Center, Vietnam

There are eight known species of Pangolins across Asia and Africa (south of the Sahara region). Hunting for the illegal wildlife trade has quickly turned the Pangolin into one of the most endangered groups of mammals in the world.

Our friend from the Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Centre has provided a nice video of a Malayan Pangolin the wild which can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgr8hguxO_A&feature=autofb

Southeast Asia’s Pangolin populations have been decimated by the  illegal wildlife trade for their meat, skin and scales which are used in traditional Chinese medicine. Earlier this year, nearly 30,000 pounds of pangolin meat and parts were seized. At only 30-40lbs per individual, this was equal to nearly 1,000 individual animals in one confiscation alone.

Then on June 6th, Chinese customs agents seized TEN TONS (over 2,000 individuals plus 90 cases of scales) of pangolins being smuggled across on a fishing vessel. Follow the story here as reported on Time.com.

To learn more about Pangolins, go to SavePangolin.org

photo courtesy Carnivore and Pangolin Conservation Center, Vietnam

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May
17

Clouded Leopards

Posted by Peter in Animal Origins & Fun Facts,Endangered Species

Few animals rival the beauty of the clouded leopard, one of nature’s most mysterious felines and a species which can be seen at the Houston Zoo.

Named for its cloud-shaped spots or “ellipses,” this nocturnal creature makes its home in the tropical rainforests and dry woodlands of Southeast Asia, and is considered one of the most acrobatic climbers in the cat family.  “Cloudeds” can leap from tree to tree, maneuver quite well both above and beneath branches, hang upside-down by their hind feet, and even race head-first down vertical trunks. The cat’s long tail, which can reach three feet and is equal in length to the body, helps the animal maintain its balance high up in the forest canopy. Another unique feature of this species is its long canines, which are longer in proportion to body size than those of any other living cats.  In a sense, the clouded leopard is a medium sized saber-toothed tiger designed for the treetops.

Bornean Clouded Leopard, photo Wilting&Mohamed, ConCaSa

Although widely distributed and found in Indonesia, Burma, Nepal, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Sumatra, southern China and Borneo, the clouded leopard is still categorized as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.  Its numbers are believed to be declining throughout its range and the population on Taiwan was recently extirpated – that is, wiped out.  Being nocturnal and largely solitary in nature, this species has revealed little of its social behavior to even the most determined field researchers.  However, recent genetic studies suggest that what was once thought to be a single species is actually two; populations inhabiting the islands of Borneo and Sumatra are significantly distinct from those of the mainland.  This doesn’t come as a total surprise to evolutionary biologists, but it does give higher priority to conservation actions that target these isolated populations. The Houston Zoo currently supports several wildlife projects in the state of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo: orangutan field research, human-elephant conflict mitigation, and camera-trapping surveys for native cat species including the clouded leopard.    

For more information about clouded leopards, go to www.cloudedleopard.org.

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Mar
12

New Chelonian Visitor Center opens in Cuc Phuong National Park

Posted by Peter in Featured

NEW CHELONIAN VISITOR CENTER PROMOTES CONSERVATION OF VIETNAM’S TORTOISES AND FRESHWATER TURTLES

young turtleHanoi, March 10, 2010 – Cuc Phuong National Park opened the doors to the region’s first visitor interpretation center focused exclusively on the conservation and protection of tortoises and freshwater turtles.

Located on the grounds of the park’s Turtle Conservation Center (TCC), the new educational facilities incorporate a range of interpretive displays and exhibits including underwater viewing tanks, a turtle egg incubation and hatchling room, and a mock hunting camp and forest trail. 

This new educational component of the park’s turtle conservation center was developed to promote efforts to protect turtles amongst the park’s approximately 80,000 annual visitors.

“We hope the new Chelonian Interpretation Center will help the public understand more about turtles and the crisis our turtles face as a result of hunting and trade,” says Bui Dang Phong, Vice Director of Wildlife Conservation and Rescue Centers at Cuc Phuong National Park. “Vietnam’s turtles are being hunted to the point of extinction. Many species’ survival may be contingent upon getting the public to understand the problem and actively becoming involved in their protection.”

ENV also marks the opening of the center with the release of two new important resources intended to support law enforcement agencies in their efforts to reduce the illegal trade of turtles. A short film produced by ENV on the Asian turtle crisis provides forest rangers and park managers with an introduction to turtles and an overview of the threats they face, as well as some basic information on dealing with confiscations. 

ENV is also distributing a new electronic identification guide to tortoises and freshwater turtles of Vietnam for law enforcement agencies which includes photos and identification indicators for all 25 native species as well as other important information such as “alerts” prescribing recommended actions for the most critically endangered species if observed or confiscated from the trade.  

Vietnam is considered one of the most important hotspots for turtle diversity in Asia with 25 different native species of tortoise and freshwater turtles including five soft-shell species and 20 other hard-shell turtle species. Vietnam also is home to at least two endemic species of turtles that are found nowhere else in the world, as well as the legendary Hoan Kiem turtle, Rafetus swinhoei, one of the most famous and rarest turtles in the world. 

The Chelonian Visitor Interpretation Center was developed by the park in partnership with Education for Nature – Vietnam (ENV).  Technical support was provided by the Asian Turtle Conservation Program of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.

 Financial support was provided by a host of international organizations and institutions including the Auckland Zoo, Taronga Zoo, Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), Houston Zoo, Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Gardens of Hong Kong, Perth Zoo, Melbourne Zoo, the Humane Society International, and the Dutch Tortoise Society.

About the Turtle Conservation Center (TCC): The larger Turtle Conservation Center was established in 1999 and currently holds more than 1000 turtles representing 20 native species that were either rescued from the illegal trade or born at the center as part of several conservation breeding programs that have been established for some of the most endangered species. The TCC also focuses on training young scientists and forest rangers, and research. 

About Education for Nature – Vietnam: Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) was established in 2000 as Vietnam’s first non-governmental organization focused on conservation of nature and the environment. Our mission is to foster greater understanding amongst the Vietnamese public about environmental issues of local, national and global significance, ranging from protection of wildlife and natural ecosystems to climate change. We employ creative and innovative strategies to influence attitudes and behavior, not only highlighting the need to protect Vietnam’s rich natural heritage and the living world around us, but also encouraging greater public participation in achieving this important and challenging task.

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Feb
17

Primates of Vietnam: Part 2

Posted by Peter in Endangered Species

Environmental Training in Kon Ka Kinh National Park:

Green Forest Magazine focusing on primates - 2008

Green Forest Magazine focusing on primates - 2008

As part of Education for Nature Vietnam’s National Mobile Wildlife Trade Education Progra, ENV conducted a short five day training program for participants from Kon Ka Kinh National Park and neighboring Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve focusing on raising awareness about the protection of the critically endangered grey-shanked douc langur (Pygathrix nemaeus cinerea). The grey-shanked langur is a native of both aeas and endemic to the provinces in central vietnam and is threatened locally by hunting and the wildlife trade.

This training was aimed at preparing ENV’s local partners at both protected areas to integrate a primate lesson plan specfically focused on the grey-shanked douc langur’s  protection. ENV has carried out similiar training focused on some of Vietnam’s critically endangered primates at Cuc Phuong National Park and Van Long Nature Reserve with Delacour’s Langurs and Pu Huong Nature Reserve in Nghe An Province focused on White-cheeked gibbons.

This project was supported by the Houston Zoo and the Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation.

 

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