The animal was discovered at the home of Tran Van Duan in Dong Tan Village, Tuyen Hoa Commune. Recognising it as a protected wild species, Duan alerted local authorities.
Officials from the commune, police and forest rangers later transferred the animal to the Rescue, Conservation and Development Centre at Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park for care before its release back into the wild.
The pygmy slow loris, scientifically known as Nycticebus pygmaeus, weighed about 0.3 kilogrammes and was reported to be in good health.
The species is classified under Group IB, Vietnam’s highest protection category for endangered and rare forest fauna and flora, and is listed in the country’s Red Data Book.
In a separate case in Thanh Hoa Province, authorities recently received another rare slow loris voluntarily handed over by a local resident after it was found crossing a road in Thanh Phong Commune.