The Ea Sô Nature Reserve in the central province of Đắk Lắk. — VNA/VNS Photo

ĐẮK LẮK — The management board of the Ea Sô Nature Reserve in the central province of Đắk Lắk on Friday announced that it has coordinated with the Hanoi Wildlife Rescue Centre to release 60 rare wild animals back into their natural habitat.

According to the rescue centre, the animals belong to 17 species and were all assessed to be in good health and fit for release.

Among them are two species classified under Group IB of Việt Nam's protected wildlife list, namely the Bengal slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis) and the Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica). Both are endangered forest species protected under Vietnamese law and are prohibited from commercial exploitation or use.

The remaining animals belong to Group IIB, which covers wildlife species subject to restrictions on commercial exploitation and use. They include nine monocled cobras (Naja kaouthia), with a combined weight of 6.4 kilogrammes.

Following the release, the Hà Nội centre requested the management board of the Ea Sô Nature Reserve to continue monitoring and protecting the animals.

This marks the second time the two sides have released a large number of rare wild animals into the reserve's natural forests.

According to Lê Minh Tiến, management board director of the Ea Sô Nature Reserve, the two organisations have worked closely in recent years to return rescued wildlife to the wild, contributing to biodiversity conservation and the protection of the reserve's unique forest ecosystem, located in the transitional zone between the Central Highlands and the South-Central Coast. — VNA/VNS