Rare and unusual animals caught on camera in Vietnam's Động Châu-Khe Nước Trong Nature Reserve
Many rare and endangered animals listed in the Red Data Book have been discovered at the Động Châu-Khe Nước Trong Nature Reserve in north-central Vietnam using camera traps.
The Động Châu-Khe Nước Trong Nature Reserve lies in the southwest of the former Lệ Thủy district of the former Quảng Bình province (now part of Quảng Trị province), in north-central Vietnam, bordering Laos and the Bắc Hướng Hóa Nature Reserve in Quảng Trị province. The area consists mainly of tropical evergreen forest within a vast natural forest ecoregion of about 500,000 hectares with rich forest resources. The Động Châu-Khe Nước Trong Nature Reserve itself covers more than 22,210 hectares and has been recognized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) as one of 200 global biodiversity centers.
The area has been likened to a "royal garden" for its lowland forest ecosystems and its plants and animals, especially large mammals and large birds.
According to preliminary figures from the reserve's management board, the area is home to 76 mammal species, 214 bird species and 671 reptile species, many of them rare plants and animals at high risk of extinction. (Among them is the red-shanked douc langur, a rare primate endemic to Indochina that is critically endangered in Vietnam.)
An Asian black bear captured by a camera trap in July 2022 at the Động Châu-Khe Nước Trong Nature Reserve. The species, scientifically known as Ursus thibetanus, belongs to group IB of Vietnam's list of endangered, precious and rare forest animals (under Decree 84/2021/NĐ-CP). The Asian black bear is on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as one of the threatened animals in need of conservation.
The serow, known in full as the mainland serow (Capricornis milneedwardsii), is a large mammal of the family Bovidae that lives in Vietnam. Adults of this hoofed mammal measure 1.4-1.8 meters long and weigh 120-150 kg. The species is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.
According to preliminary figures from the reserve's management board, the area is home to 76 mammal species, 214 bird species and 671 reptile species, many of them rare plants and animals at high risk of extinction. (Pictured is a red-shanked douc langur, a rare primate endemic to Indochina that is critically endangered in Vietnam.)
The Sunda pangolin is also known as the Javan pangolin. The species is on Vietnam's list of endangered, precious and rare forest plants and animals threatened with extinction, and its exploitation and use for commercial purposes are strictly prohibited.
The spotted linsang (also called the "star civet" or "leopard civet" in Vietnamese) has the scientific name Prionodon pardicolor. It is a rare mammal listed in Vietnam's Red Data Book.
Bạch Thanh Hải, director of the Động Châu-Khe Nước Trong Nature Reserve, said this is one of the largest areas of continuous natural forest in Vietnam, a type of landscape that now survives only in a few areas along the Vietnam-Laos border. In particular, the area still preserves a large expanse of primary lowland tropical evergreen forest, a forest type that has become very rare in Vietnam after being heavily affected and shrinking elsewhere. It is also one of the most valuable areas for biodiversity in the Trường Sơn (Annamite) Range and is highly regarded by many international conservation organizations.
A gaur recorded by a camera trap in April 2017. In Vietnam, this animal belongs to the Indochinese or Southeast Asian gaur (scientifically known as Bos gaurus laosiensis or Bos gaurus readei). It is in group IB of Vietnam's rare and precious animals and is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
In the primary tropical forest, initial surveys have recorded 1,030 species in 599 genera and 144 families across five divisions of higher vascular plants, including 36 species threatened with extinction that are listed in Vietnam's Red Data Book. Compared with other protected areas and national parks in Vietnam, the richness of animal species at the Động Châu-Khe Nước Trong Nature Reserve is still very high.
The crested argus (scientific name Rheinardia ocellata) is a large bird of the pheasant family. Its nominate subspecies is endemic to Vietnam and Laos and is threatened.
A family of wild boars foraging, captured by a camera trap.
Surveys and camera trapping have detected many rare mammals in need of conservation at the reserve, such as the red-shanked douc langur, Asian black bear, Hatinh langur and Annamite striped rabbit. The findings point to the area's ecological diversity and show that it is an ideal habitat for wildlife.
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