Two dead Black-shanked Douc Langurs Pygathris nigripes, recovered by rangers at Chu Yang Sin National Park. Photo credit: Mai Đức Vĩnh

Chu Yang Sin National Park – On Thursday 15 October, 2009, rangers from Chu Yang Sin National Park, Dak Lak Province, confronted poachers who had recently killed a number of Black-shanked Douc Langurs within the park.  A firearm and the bodies of two shot douc langurs were recovered, but the rangers were unable to arrest the offenders, who disappeared into the forest.  Hunting is forbidden in national parks, and the Black-shanked Douc Langur is an endangered and protected species under Vietnamese law.

Although outnumbered by the four poachers, the patrol group, consisting of five rangers and lead by Le Van Quyet, confronted them, but then withdrew during the incident and did not make any arrests.  The poachers were better armed and were accompanied by hunting dogs.

”My unarmed rangers confronted some of the poachers, who then abandoned their rifle and the two dead douc langurs. The poachers threatened to shoot my men.” said Mr. Le Van Quyet.
 

”The national park rangers acted responsibilty and showed great courage in a dangerous and potentially lethal situation.  The poachers are better equipped than my rangers.” said Mr. Luong Vinh Linh, director of Chu Yang Sin National Park.

”Poaching is a desperate problem in Vietnam’s protected areas and it is getting worse. In Chu Yang Sin National Park the situation is almost out of control.  The national park authority and staff need far greater government support.  The rangers are poorly equipped and trained.  Rangers require professional training in use of firearms, conducting patrols, ambush techniques, and how to restrain and detain poachers but it isn’t happening.  There are organizations who can provide this training and regularly do in neighboring countries, such as Cambodia.  Why doesn’t the Vietnamese Government wake-up before it is too late to conserve anything in this country? said Jonathan C Eames, Programme Manager for BirdLife International in Indochina who implements a World Bank/Global Environment Facility funded project in the national park.

”These brave, underpaid, and undervalued hereos of conservation are not empowered enough by the law. We are letting them down. The law regarding enforcement and protection in Vietnamese national parks is inadequate and not comparable with other countries.  No one knows what they can do and what they can’t do.  It is not the same in other countries, where poachers can be shot dead without a challange, merely on grounds of being present with intent in a protected area.  That is why other countries, like Thailand and India have widlife in their natonal parks and Vietnam does not. We need strong laws and for them to be enforced, otherwise NGOs like BirdLife are wasting their time.” added Mr. Eames.
 

Black-shanked douc Pygathris nigripes is endemic to Indochina. They are listed as Endangered according to IUCN and Vietnam’s Red Book. Their bones are often used to make glue. Government Decree 32/2006/ND-CP lists the Black-shanked Douc Langur, prohibiting hunting and use of the species for commercial purposes. In July, in Khanh Hoa province, two men were imprisoned for a total of 4 years and 6 months, for killing two Black-shanked Douc Langurs.