Quang Tri: Douc langur kept in resident's house
On November 9, 2011, a resident in Huong Lap commune, Huong Hoa district, Quang Tri province reported that there was a red-shanked douc langur (Pygathrix nemaeus nemaeus) being kept as a pet by a local resident for a long time. He said that the langur had been accidentally caught from Ta Pang forest a year ago. After receiving information from ENV, Forest Protection Department of Huong Hoa district immediately monitored the site and learnt that the langur had been moved to the resident’s relative’s house in Laos. The case is still being investigated.
In most mountainous regions, there is a lot wildlife accidentally caught and then sold or kept as a pet by local residents. Some of them belong to group of rare wild animals restricted from being held in captivity, hunted, traded or killed. However, these residents do not know that their actions are illegal. For this reason, there is a need for these regions to have active programs to raise awareness and knowledge of laws on protecting the environment in general and wildlife in particular.
(Case Ref. 3802/ENV)
