Local rangers and management of the Cham Island Maritime Protected Area (MPA) have released an endangered pangolin (Manis Javanica) back to the wild on the Cham Islands after locals found the animal.
The endangered pangolin is released back to the wild on Cham Islands, off the coast of Hoi An. Photo courtesy of Cham Islands MPA management board
Vice director of the MPA, Nguyen Van Vu told Viet Nam News that the pangolin, weighing around 1kg, was discovered living in a garden of a household in Cam Pho Ward in Hoi An City, a few months ago.
The MPA and local rangers checked the health condition of the pangolin before taking it to the forest on Cham Islands on Sunday.
Vu said pangolins, which are listed as Critically Endangered species by International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN), are living in the Islands’ forest. They were discovered after a diversity study by the Centre for Biodiversity Conservation Research (GreenViet).
An endangered pangolin (Manis Javanica) was captured by locals in Hoi An City. Photo courtesy of Cham Islands MPA management board
Cham Islands-Hoi An (including the total area of the Islands’ land and water and Hoi An), was recognised as a World Biosphere Reserve in 2009 and covers 1,500ha of tropical forests and 6,700ha of sea.
A wide range of marine fauna and flora including many endangered species such as salangane (swallows), the long-tailed monkey and the crab-eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis) live in the area.
The islands and buffer zones did attract around 1.5 million tourists per year, but the COVID-19 pandemic has seriously damaged the visitor rate.