LookAtVietnam – Rangers in Chu Yang Sin National Park in the Central Highlands province of Dac Lac have intercepted four armed poachers hunting doucs.

The first group of two poachers had a hunting dog and were armed with a home-made arquebuse. The second group of two men, also armed with a home-made arquebuse, were carrying two dead black-shanked doucs – an endangered langur that is indigenous to Indochina.

“The rangers, unarmed but for a single air rifle, chased the second group of poachers who ran away, leaving an arquebuse and two dead langurs behind,” said patrol leader Le Van Quyet, head of ranger Unit 7. “The hunters were well-armed and wouldn’t have hesitated to shoot us had the opportunity presented itself.”

Park director Luong Vinh Linh said rangers risked their lives everytime they went on patrol.

“The rangers in our national park are brave and responsible but they face very real dangers when doing their job. The criminals are well-equipped and not afraid of anything. It is very alarming,” he said.

The black-shanked douc has a dark back and a white-grey belly and arms. Its face is blue with cream around the eyes and forehead. It also has a distinctive long white tail.

They are considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and are listed in Viet Nam’s Red Book of animals threatened with extinction.

Their bones are used to make glue, which is believed to be able to cure bone-related diseases. However, there is no scientific evidence to suggest that douc bones have any curative effect.

The Government’s Decree 32/2006/ND-CP states that black-shanked doucs are especially valuable to science and are prized as a tourist attraction. The decree prohibits their exploitation or use for commercial purposes.

Poachers face a prison term of nine months to three years.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News