A pygmy slow loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus) weighing about 0.5kg, along with several wild birds, has been released back into the wild in the central province of Nghe An.
Hoang Dang Phuc, deputy head of the Quynh Luu – Hoang Mai Forest Protection Unit, said the pygmy slow loris was handed over on November 28 by a resident of Con Say hamlet, Quynh Anh commune, who had found the animal while working in the fields.
After learning through the media that the species is listed as endangered and protected under Vietnam’s Red Data Book, he voluntarily notified the authorities. Upon receipt, forest rangers, local police, and officials coordinated to release the animal into its natural habitat.
The species is classified as endangered, precious and rare, and is prioritised for protection under Group IB of Government Decree 84/2021/ND-CP, dated September 22, 2021, as well as under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The same day, the forest protection unit also received three green white-eyes, one common blackbird, one greater painted-snipe, and 20 black ground birds, all voluntarily handed over by local residents.
In late November, residents in Hamlet 6 of Quynh Luu commune also voluntarily handed over four hawks and two bulbuls. They discovered the birds while clearing vegetation on forestry land near Ru The Mountain in preparation for harvest.
