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After the death of the last Javan rhino in Cat Tien National Park, many people have raised concerns about threats to a rare species of bulls who also live in the park.
The herb of bulls in Cat Tien National Park
Some days ago, the last live specimen in the park, alerted people to the dangers that other rare species face in Cat Tien National Park, located in the central highlands province of Lam Dong. The park is home to many species named in International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, IUCN,’s Red List.
Huynh Van Dau, Secretary, of Cat Tien District’s party committee, said, “Among the remaining species, the bull is in need of special care.” In Vietnam’s Red List, the bull is listed among animal groups facing a high risk of extinction.
According to Tran Van Thanh, Director of the park, said the park has only around 100 bulls, and hunting is a big concern for the park\'s rangers.
The bull community in Cat Tien National Park is adjacent to nearly 40 densely-populated communes of the three provinces of Lam Dong, Dong Nai and Binh Duong. Besides, up to 18,000 people are living in the buffer and core zone of the park, which is a threat to them, Thanh added.
“After the extinction of the Javan rhino, we are really worried for the bull here because the continuing animal hunting and the use of animal meat for food,” said Nguyen Van Minh, Deputy Head of the park’s protection board.
Minh noted that, despite the fact that there were no poacher cases that have been prosecuted, every month they confiscate around five homemade guns.
“A bull gall can be sold for between VND50-60 million (USD2,392-2,870). The price of bull meat price is three to four times higher than that of other meat. This gives great incentives for poachers,” Minh said.
According to Thanh, “Every year, we confiscate 20,000 animal traps. Around 10% of them are for large animals such as bull and deer. A big part of the problem is the living standards of the locals. This must be changed in order to protect the wildlife of the forest.”
This herd of bulls was discovered in Cat Tien National Park in 2006. The park received EUR580,000 (USD814.691) from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the French Global Environment Fund (FFEM) to protect the rare species.
An area in Cat Tien National Park destroyed
