A photo of a black-shanked douc seen in the forests of Bà Đen Mountain, Tây Ninh Province. — VNA/VNS Photo 

TÂY NINH — Around three groups of up to nine endangered black-shanked doucs have been seen in Bà Đen Mountain national tourist complex in the southwestern province of Tây Ninh since May.

After receiving reports from residents, the Bà Đen management unit and the local forest rangers conducted frequent surveillance trips to verify their existence.

One or two individuals of the species were repeatedly spotted by local officials during a cable car trip on the mountain in June and another in the natural forest area on the side of the mountain late October this year.

Mang Văn Thới, head of the provincial Forest Protection Department, said through analyses of photographic evidence, primate experts were able to confirm they are black-shanked doucs endemic to Việt Nam and Cambodia.

In Việt Nam, black-shanked doucs are mostly found in Lâm VIên Highlands, the Nam Trường Sơn (South Annamite Range). Their diet mostly comprises of leaves and occasionally fruits and flowers.

They are listed as an endangered species in the Government’s Decree 06/2019/NĐ-CP on management of rare and threatened wild fauna and flora and implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and Decree 84/2021/NĐ-CP on amending and supplementing a number of articles in Decree 06/2019/NĐ-CP.

Any attempts to trap, capture, breed, or trade these animals could result in criminal prosecutions.

The Tây Ninh Forest Protection Department has asked the management authority of the Bà Đen Mountain national tourist complex to adopt plans for strengthening protection of the black-shanked doucs and raise awareness of the species among local residents and tourists. — VNS