Two pangolin species successfully raised at Vietnam's Cúc Phương National Park
In its wildlife conservation work, Cúc Phương National Park in northern Vietnam is the only facility in the country to have successfully raised two Asian pangolin species on artificial food and to have bred them in captivity.
Pangolins are strictly protected in Vietnam; hunting, trading or consuming them is illegal.
Cúc Phương National Park is conserving 150 individuals of 15 rare primate species and subspecies native to Vietnam. Nine of them have successfully bred and been reared in captivity, a rare achievement for gibbons and langurs.
A pangolin
Under its turtle conservation program, the park was the first facility to successfully breed 11 species of Vietnamese tortoises and freshwater turtles, and it is currently rescuing and caring for 20 turtle species from Vietnam. Every year, the park releases hundreds of rescued and captive-bred animals into the wild, helping to conserve endangered turtle species.
The park is also conserving genetic resources and reintroducing animals to restore populations of sika deer and sambar deer in Cúc Phương's natural forests. Animals such as porcupines, silver pheasants and red junglefowl are growing and breeding very well at Cúc Phương.
In recent years, the park has supplied breeding stock of these animals to local communities for economic development, opening a new path suited to the region's natural conditions.
To collect and propagate rare plant species for genetic conservation, Cúc Phương National Park has built a 180-hectare botanical garden that now holds 811 plant species. These include 210 timber tree species from Cúc Phương, 85 timber species from other parts of Vietnam, 5 introduced species, 25 species of the arum family (Araceae) from Cúc Phương, 20 fruit tree species, 15 bamboo species, 15 palm species, 296 medicinal plant species and 140 orchid species. Many of these plants are thriving and supply seedlings for reforestation programs in the region and across the country.
Cúc Phương National Park is now home to nearly 2,200 species of higher plants belonging to 1,007 genera and 223 families in 7 divisions. Among them are 118 rare species, 433 medicinal plant species and 229 edible plant species. Notably, the newly discovered species include 2 plant genera new to Vietnam, as well as 1 genus and 1 species new to science. Cúc Phương also has 1,899 invertebrate species, including 454 species of beetles (Coleoptera), 378 species of butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) and 314 species of Hymenoptera...
Cúc Phương is also home to 660 vertebrate species, including 136 mammal species, 336 bird species, 76 reptile species, 46 amphibian species and 66 fish species. Of these, 64 species are listed in Vietnam's Red Data Book and 33 on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In particular, three taxa endemic to Cúc Phương have recently been described for science: the Cúc Phương red-bellied squirrel with a reddish tail, the Cúc Phương catfish (cá niết) and the Cúc Phương water skink (thằn lằn tai Cúc Phương).
