Amazing Endemics of the Annamites: Endangered by Wildlife Trade

AMAZING ENDEMICS OF THE ANNAMITES

ENDANGERED BY WILDLIFE TRADE

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Illustration credit: © Eric Losh / the Saola Working Group

Published in 2023 by WWF-Greater Mekong (World Wide Fund for Nature). Any reproduction in full or in part must mention the title and credit the above-mentioned publisher as the copyright owner.

© Text 2023 WWF

All rights reserved

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Concept, research and text:

K. Yoganand and Mia Signs

Suggested citation

Yoganand, K., and M. Signs. 2023. Amazing Endemics of the Annamites: Endangered by Wildlife Trade. WWF-Greater Mekong, Vientiane, Laos. 62 pages.

GLOSSARY

Acknowledgements

WWF-Greater Mekong appreciates the generous funding support from WWF-Sweden for producing this report. We are grateful for the long-standing support provided by our donors and conservation partners – philanthropists, corporations, public sector and the WWF network offices in Europe, Asia and the USA – for the conservation work carried out over the years in the Annamite mountain range by WWF-Cambodia, WWF-Laos, WWF-Viet Nam and the Greater Mekong Programme Office. The authors thank the researchers and specialists who conducted comprehensive IUCN/SSC Red List assessments and shared their valuable research information, and thank the photographers and nature enthusiasts who contributed beautiful photos for use in this report. We thank J. W. Duckworth for reviewing some sections of this report. Barney Jeffries copy-edited and Reuben Houfe designed the report.

CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

IUCN International Union for the Conservation of Nature

TRAFFIC The Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network

WWF World Wide Fund for Nature (formerly World Wildlife Fund)

Where information is not specifically attributed to a specific source, the source is the IUCN Red List assessment.

IUCN-SSC RED LIST CATEGORIES

Cover Photo: Lao langur in Phou Hin Poun protected area | © K. Yoganand / WWF-Greater Mekong

INTRODUCTION

The rugged Annamite mountain range runs north-south, parallel to Viet Nam’s coast, and forms the national border between Laos and Viet Nam. The Annamites host some spectacular and highly threatened wildlife species that exist nowhere else. The forested valleys, limestone karst hills and vertiginous mountains of the Annamites acted as an evolutionary laboratory, as refugia during the glacial periods, creating a myriad of unique life forms endemic to this mountain range. Many large mammals have been discovered in these mountains, including the saola, which in 1992 was the first large mammal described by science in over 50 years.

Characterized by mature secondary forest, patches of primary wet evergreen forest and karst vegetation, the nearly 11,000km2 of forest habitat in the Annamite range comprises one of the largest contiguous natural forested areas in continental Southeast Asia. However, these forests were severely disturbed and degraded during the Second Indochina War (also known as the Viet Nam War). Subsequently, annual monitoring of forest cover by Global Forest Watch using satellite data indicated that Viet Nam lost close to a million hectares of humid forests, or 12% of its humid forest cover in the past 20 years, much of which from the Annamite mountains, with an exceptionally high loss in the central Annamites.

Furthermore, the hunting pressure on the wildlife of the Annamites has been very high historically, threatening the survival of many endemic species. This threat has only intensified as a snaring crisis swept through Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia, decimating populations of ground-dwelling animals. The industrial-scale snaring is

The endemic Annamites treasure, and to be discovered. current rate capture and stand to lose even before

Trap found by WWF-Viet Nam forest guard on the patrolling way in Quang Nam Saola Nature Reserve, Viet Nam | © Ka Thanh Thinh / WWF-Viet Nam

© K. Yoganand / WWF-Greater Mekong

© Denise Stilley / WWF-Viet Nam

>120,000

SNARES REMOVED FROM THE HUE AND QUANG NAM SAOLA NATURE RESERVES

endemic species of the are a priceless natural and many species are yet discovered. But at the rate of illegal hunting, and deforestation, we lose them forever – some before they are discovered.

having devastating impacts on wildlife in the remaining forests of the Greater Mekong region, resulting in “empty forest syndrome” – as wildlife species decline, the ecological roles they perform are lost, leading to changes in forest structure and functions. Over 120,000 snares were removed from the Hue and Quang Nam saola nature reserves in the Annamites of Viet Nam alone between 2011 to 2019. Millions of snares are estimated to be active at any given time in the forests of Cambodia, Laos and Viet Nam, including in most parts of the Annamites.

The snaring crisis is driven mainly by the illegal wildlife trade to supply high-priced species to the wildlife meat and traditional medicine markets. Snares are easy and inexpensive to set. They kill and maim wildlife indiscriminately, killing animals with no value in the trade, along with those that can be sold for profit. Numerous animals are caught but never retrieved, left to die of dehydration, starvation or infection from their wounds.

Some animals are also captured alive, often to sell to the entertainment industry, serving as exotic “pets” or props for tourist attractions. An enormous international market for exotic pets – including primates, birds, turtles, snakes and newts – has created a dangerous profit motive for people to catch and trade these animals overseas.

In recent years, logging and deforestation have also increased, as has the demolition of karst hills for cement production, dealing yet another blow to the unique wildlife of the Annamites and pushing many species closer to extinction.

The endemic species of the Annamites are a priceless natural treasure, and many species are yet to be discovered. But at the current rate of illegal hunting, capture and deforestation, we stand to lose them forever –some even before they are discovered.

WWF and many other conservation organizations are working with governments, research institutions and local communities to protect and monitor the Annamite forest habitats and species. However, conservation efforts must be scaled up and speeded up to help the survival and recovery of the endemic species of the Annamites.

This report highlights some of the amazing endemic wildlife of the Annamites that have become endangered due to hunting and collection for wildlife trade and consumption.

New endemic being discovered northern Annamites. as new roads increase access, are being destroyed agricultural

Upper montane forests of the northern Annamites, in Xieng Khouang province

in Laos | © K. Yoganand / WWF-Greater Mekong

© K. Yoganand / WWF-Greater Mekong

expansion.

endemic species are discovered in the Annamites. However, roads and tractors access, these forests destroyed for expansion.

AMAZING ENDEMICS MAMMALS

MAMMALS 10

SAOLA

The saola – sometimes called the Asian unicorn – is one of the most iconic yet enigmatic species of the Annamites. It was described by science only in 1993, after its discovery in 1992 during a joint wildlife survey by Viet Nam’s Ministry of Forestry and WWF in the Vu Quang Nature Reserve of Viet Nam. Although local communities knew of the saola’s existence, its scientific documentation and taxonomic classification made it the first large mammal discovery in more than 50 years. It was considered one of the most significant zoological discoveries of the 20th century.

Researchers have documented it in the wild using camera-trap photos on only a few occasions since it was first described. The first camera-trap photo of a wild saola was taken in 1998 near a mineral spring in Pu Mat National Park, Viet Nam; two photos were taken in Bolikhamxay province, Laos in 1999; and the last photo was captured in the Hue and Quang Nam saola nature reserves of Viet Nam in September 2013. Given the very few saola observations or detections in the wild, its exact range and population size are hard to determine. Its general range is estimated to be along the Annamite mountain range from Nghe An province in the north to Quang Nam province in the south on the Viet Nam side of the Annamites, and in the adjacent provinces of Laos, from Xieng Khouang in the north to Xekong in the south.

Extensive stretches of wet evergreen forests, thought to be a suitable habitat for saola, were found in Viet Nam historically, but much of this habitat has been destroyed. Habitat destruction, combined with extensive snaring in the remaining habitats, and low detections have led researchers to conclude that the occurrence of the species in Viet Nam has declined rapidly since 1992. The difficult terrain of the Annamites makes human access difficult, but recent infrastructure

development and forest fragmentation have opened up remote saola habitats. This has allowed people to set snares to catch wildlife for consumption and trade, which is a grave threat to ungulate species like the saola, even though there seems to be no specific demand for saola in the wild meat or traditional medicine trades. Given its diminishing habitat, heavy hunting pressures and limited range, the saola is highly threatened with extinction, and is classified as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List.

Saola have never been successfully kept in captivity, with most of the 20 or so individuals captured from the wild in the 1990s and 2000s dying within weeks. The last recorded attempt to hold a saola in captivity was when an adult male was captured in 2010 in Bolikhamxay, but it died within a few days. A famous captive saola, known as Martha, was observed for three weeks in 1994 by Bill Robichaud of IUCN’s Saola Working Group – now the president of the Saola Foundation for Annamite Mountains Conservation – in Lak Sao zoo in Laos. Researchers working on saola conservation, including Robichaud, are keen to establish a captive breeding programme to ensure the continued survival of the species and to eventually reintroduce them back to the wild.

Timmins, R.J., Hedges, S. and Robichaud, W. 2020. Pseudoryx nghetinhensis (amended version of 2016 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T18597A166485696. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T18597A166485696.en. Accessed 8 May 2023.

“The lack of significant demand for saola in the wildlife trade gives great hope for its conservation,” said Robichaud in a

“But we still need to act. One of the rarest and most

large animals in the world has been quietly slipping toward extinction through complacency.”

© David Hulse / WWF © Eric Losh / Association Anoulak

https://southeastasiaglobe.com/barking-deer-fawn-strikes-a-pose-cambodia-conservationalist-biodiversity-survey/ https://southeastasiaglobe.com/barking-deer-fawn-strikes-a-pose-cambodia-conservationalist-biodiversity-survey/ https://southeastasiaglobe.com/barking-deer-fawn-strikes-a-pose-cambodia-conservationalist-biodiversity-survey/ https://southeastasiaglobe.com/barking-deer-fawn-strikes-a-pose-cambodia-conservationalist-biodiversity-survey/ https://southeastasiaglobe.com/barking-deer-fawn-strikes-a-pose-cambodia-conservationalist-biodiversity-survey/ https://southeastasiaglobe.com/barking-deer-fawn-strikes-a-pose-cambodia-conservationalist-biodiversity-survey/ https://southeastasiaglobe.com/barking-deer-fawn-strikes-a-pose-cambodia-conservationalist-biodiversity-survey/ https://southeastasiaglobe.com/barking-deer-fawn-strikes-a-pose-cambodia-conservationalist-biodiversity-survey/ https://southeastasiaglobe.com/barking-deer-fawn-strikes-a-pose-cambodia-conservationalist-biodiversity-survey/ https://southeastasiaglobe.com/barking-deer-fawn-strikes-a-pose-cambodia-conservationalist-biodiversity-survey/ https://southeastasiaglobe.com/barking-deer-fawn-strikes-a-pose-cambodia-conservationalist-biodiversity-survey/

First described by science in 1994, the large-antlered muntjac (also known as “giant muntjac”) is one of the rarest species of barking deer, and the only one listed as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List.1 It is thought that the large-antlered muntjac lives mainly in the evergreen and semi-evergreen forests of the Annamites in very specific climatic conditions and in low to mid elevations. Discovered first from a pair of antlers hung in a village in Laos near the Phou Xang He protected area and from partial skulls and antlers collected 2 around Vu Quang Reserve in Viet Nam, this species was initially more often found as trophy antlers than as a live specimen in the wild.

https://www.fauna-flora.org/news/critically-endangered-deer-triggers-camera-trap-in-cambodia/ https://www.fauna-flora.org/news/critically-endangered-deer-triggers-camera-trap-in-cambodia/ https://www.fauna-flora.org/news/critically-endangered-deer-triggers-camera-trap-in-cambodia/

https://doi.org/10.1515/mammalia-2021-0132

https://doi.org/10.1515/mammalia-2021-0132

The large-antlered muntjac has been photographed by camera traps in many protected areas including Nakai–Nam Theun National Protected Area, Bolikhamxay and Laving Laveun National Protected Area, Savannakhet in Laos; in Pu Mat National Park, the Khe Nuoc Trong proposed nature reserve, Thua Thien Hue and Quang Nam saola nature reserves and Chu Yang Sin National Park in Viet Nam. Recently, several large-antlered muntjacs, including breeding females and fawns, were caught on camera traps in two simultaneous surveys in Cambodia’s Virachey National Park. These were the first confirmed records of the species in Cambodia and probably represent an isolated population in the western end of its range. In two locations –the Nakai Plateau in Laos and the Dalat Plateau in Viet Nam – hunting and trophy evidence as well as camera trap photos suggest an equal or larger number of large-antlered muntjac compared to the more common northern red muntjac. This indicates that these two areas may be particularly well suited for the survival and recovery of the species.

Hunting and snaring driven by the wild meat trade are the primary threats to the survival of the large-antlered muntjac – as indicated by the abundance of trophies but rarity of the

species in the wild. Researchers believe that muntjacs may be strongly associated with the edges of closed-canopy forests since they have been less frequent in the forest cores. This would mean that the species is even more threatened, since these areas are more susceptible to habitat destruction and degradation and easier for hunters to access. The large-antlered muntjac seems to be specifically targeted by hunters for trophies, and all wild meat fetch a price in the market. Indiscriminate snaring – often targeted at wild pigs, red muntjacs and civets for the wild meat trade – is a grave threat to this rare ungulate. Other threats include forest conversion and degradation and increased human encroachment driven by infrastructure development, particularly new roads, agriculture development, mining and hydropower development. The Nakai Plateau, which was one of the few areas known to support significant populations of large-antlered muntjac, was flooded in 2008 for the development of the Nam Theun 2 hydropower dam. At that time, 38 individuals were captured, studied and then released into the Nakai-Nam Theun National Protected Area (now a national park).

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.325_1192b https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.325_1192b

Timmins, R.J., Duckworth, J.W., Robichaud, W., Long, B., Gray, T.N.E. and Tilker, A. 2016. Muntiacus vuquangensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T44703A22153828. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T44703A22153828.en. Accessed 8 May 2023.

1 Although many other muntjac species listed currently as Data Deficient in reality may fit the criteria for Endangered or Critically Endangered. 2 Tuoc, D., Dung, V.V., Dawson, S., Arctander, P. and MacKinnon, J. 1994. Introduction of a new large mammal species in Vietnam. In: Science and technology news. Forest Inventory and Planning Institute (March), Hanoi, Viet Nam, pp. 4-13 (in Vietnamese).

DOUC LANGURS

Black-shanked douc (Pygathrix nigripes) at Jahoo | © Diego Mahecha / Jahoo, Cambodia (www.gibbon.life)

(Pygathrix spp.)

Group of red shanked doucs | © Association Anoulak

Black shanked douc being kept as a pet in Cambodia. | © Mondulkiri PDoE / Mobile Enforcement Unit / WWF-Cambodia

There are three species of douc langurs endemic to the Annamites of Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia, and all are assessed in the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered. They can be distinguished by the unique colour of their lower legs, or shanks. Historically douc langurs lived in large social groups of up to 50 individuals. However, the effects of hunting may have caused many groups to become smaller. Populations of all douc langur species have declined by more than 80% in three generations (36 years), and it is believed there are only a few hundred to a few thousand of each species left in the wild. Illegal hunting and trade is widespread and is happening at an alarming rate, despite the protection afforded under various national laws. For instance, an analysis of 10 years of wildlife crime incidents in Viet Nam found that 684 douc langurs were seized in 80 cases – 560 black-shanked douc langurs, 69 grey-shanked douc langurs and 50 red-shanked douc langurs. Habitat loss is another major threat, including deforestation for coffee, rubber, cashew, other crops and tree plantations, mining, and hydropower dams. Road infrastructure development has resulted in increased access to remote forests for poachers.

The red-shanked douc is thought to have declined by more than 80% in three generations (36 years), largely due to hunting driven by the wildlife trade, and partly because of habitat loss. The largest remaining population is in Laos, particularly in the Nakai Nam Theun and Hin Nam No national parks, likely to represent the most extensive contiguous habitat for this species. In Viet Nam, the population has declined dramatically, with many areas where doucs were recorded in the 1990s now devoid of them. The largest population remains in Phong Nha Ke Bang

National Park, where the species is naturally protected by the difficult terrain of the limestone karst forests. Doucs are trapped alive for sale as “pets” and hunted heavily for their meat and to sell as purported “medicine”. They are highly priced in Viet Nam for their supposed medicinal properties. This demand for use in traditional medicine and associated illegal trade has devastated the populations in both Laos and Viet Nam.

The black-shanked douc is found only in the Annamites of northern Cambodia and southern Viet Nam. The black-shanked douc population is thought to have declined by more than 80% in three generations (36 years), due in part to hunting for traditional medicine and local meat consumption. The largest known population exists in Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary in Mondulkiri province, Cambodia, where the estimated population in 2020 was approximately 25,000 individuals. In the adjacent Srepok and Phnom Prich wildlife sanctuaries, the total estimated population in 2022 was approximately 6,500 individuals,

together making this the second largest population of this species.1

https://wwfasia.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/vietnamese_j_primatol_vol_3_3_2021___7_7mb_1.pdf https://wwfasia.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/vietnamese_j_primatol_vol_3_3_2021___7_7mb_1.pdf

The grey-shanked douc is found only in the Annamites of Viet Nam, although its range may extend to north-eastern Cambodia. Currently, its population in Viet Nam’s Central Highlands is fragmented, and it is likely that only 1,000 to 2,000 individuals are left in the wild. In 2016, a Fauna and Flora International (FFI) led team of experts discovered about 500 grey-shanked douc langurs in Kon Tum province, one of the largest populations of this primate. FFI is now supporting the establishment of a nature reserve in Kon Plong in the eastern Annamite mountains to ensure the long-term survival of this population.

Grey-shanked doucs are classified as Critically Endangered. The Central Highlands is losing almost 10,000 hectares of forest annually due to logging, agriculture, hydropower development and road construction, and grey-shanked doucs are hunted for meat and to make the traditional monkey balm.

"Doucs initially sparked my interest in Southeast Asian biodiversity conservation when I was a student and inspired me to pursue conservation work in Laos,” said Camille N.Z. Coudrat, founder and director of Association Anoulak, an NGO focused on conserving the Annamite mountains' biodiversity in Laos.

Association Anoulak has produced a children’s book, Wonders of the Annamites: Life in the mountains of Laos and Vietnam, written and illustrated by Eric Losh.

https://www.conservationlaos.com/wonders-of-the-annamites/ https://www.conservationlaos.com/wonders-of-the-annamites/ https://www.conservationlaos.com/wonders-of-the-annamites/ https://www.conservationlaos.com/wonders-of-the-annamites/ https://www.conservationlaos.com/wonders-of-the-annamites/

Coudrat, C.N.Z., Quyet, L.K., Duc, H., Phiaphalath, P., Rawson, B.M., Nadler, T., Ulibarri, L. and Duckworth, J.W. 2020. Pygathrix nemaeus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T39826A17941247.

https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T39826A17941247.en. Accessed 8 May 2023.

Duc, H., Quyet, L.K., Rawson, B.M., O'Brien, J. and Covert, H. 2021. Pygathrix nigripes (amended version of 2020 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T39828A196138291.

https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T39828A196138291.en. Accessed 8 May 2023.

Long, H.T., Duc, H., Quyet, L.K., Rawson, B.M., Nadler, T. and Covert, H. 2020. Pygathrix cinerea. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T39827A17941672.

https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T39827A17941672.en. Accessed 8 May 2023.

“Doucs hold a special place in my heart as the most beautiful primates in the world. Their captivating appearance, limited research done on them, and their high extinction risk make them truly unique. A world without these primates would be incomplete."

Camille Coudrat / Association Anoulak

Red-shanked douc | © Martin Harvey / WWF

GIBBONS

Two species of gibbon are endemic to the Annamites – the Endangered northern yellow-cheeked crested gibbon and the Critically Endangered southern white-cheeked gibbon. As arboreal species, both are threatened by habitat destruction and degradation, but the primary threat is hunting for meat and traditional medicine, and significantly also for the “pet” trade. Keeping gibbons is illegal in all countries where these species are found, and trading them internationally is strictly prohibited.

https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23171

https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23171

The largest known population of the northern yellow-cheeked gibbon is found in north-eastern Cambodia, mainly in Virachey National Park. Smaller populations are also found in central Viet Nam and in Xe Sap National Protected Area in Laos. A recent gibbon call survey in three protected areas in central Viet Nam found that although local extinctions of this gibbon have occurred, some sites were recolonized when given protection. The expansion of infrastructure and agriculture, habitat degradation and increased access for hunters has resulted in a decline in numbers across their range. This species was the most sought-after primate as a pet in communities surrounding the Veun Sai-Siem Pang National Park in Cambodia, with 44% of people surveyed saying they would keep one as a pet.

The southern white-cheeked gibbon is found only in Laos and Viet Nam, and only about 600 individuals are thought to occur in the wild. The largest populations are known from Hin Nam No National Park in Laos and the adjacent Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park of Viet Nam. Unlike in Laos, the forest habitat of this gibbon species in Viet Nam is heavily fragmented due to deforestation and agricultural expansion. Together with hunting, this is resulting in populations becoming small, isolated and potentially unviable in many locations. Hunting for traditional medicine, meat and the pet trade are major threats to this species in both countries. Hunting often occurs when people can access previously difficult to reach gibbon habitat through new roads and other infrastructure development.

Thinh Van Ngoc, Roos, C., Rawson, B.M., Nguyen, M.H.,

e.T120659170A120659179. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T120659170A120659179.en. Accessed 8 May 2023.

Nguyen, M.H., Coudrat, C.N.Z., Roos, C., Rawson, B.M. and Duckworth, J.W. 2020. Nomascus siki. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T39896A17968765.

https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T39896A17968765.en. Accessed 8 May 2023.

NORTHERN YELLOW-CHEEKED CRESTED GIBBON (Nomascus annamensis)

SOUTHERN WHITE-CHEEKED GIBBON (Nomascus siki)

Duckworth, J.W., Hoang Minh Duc, Nijman, V. and Thien Nguyen Van. 2020. Nomascus annamensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020:

“Gibbons are simply one of the most majestic animals one can be lucky enough to see in the wild,” said Ben Rawson of WWF-Asia Pacific. “Their acrobatic gait as they brachiate through the canopy is truly awe-inspiring, as are their loud vocalizations which can be heard by wildlife surveyors and hunters alike for several kilometres. As one of the most threatened primate families globally, and a close living relative of humans, the gibbons justly continue to be a very high conservation priority in Asia.”

© Christy Williams

Female Norther buff-cheeked gibbon | © Denise Stilley / WWF-Viet Nam

LAO LANGUR

As its name suggests, the Lao langur is found only in a small part of central Laos, in Bolikhamxay and Khammouane provinces – specifically, in Nam Kading National Protected Area, Nam Sanam Provincial Protected Area and Phou Hin Poun National Protected Area. Lao langurs are closely associated with the limestone karst forests in these protected areas, although they can also be found in non-limestone rock outcroppings on steep hill slopes where they take refuge from hunting.

The most significant threat to this species presently is hunting for meat and folk medicine, although it is also threatened by habitat loss since the forests that connect the karst formations are being logged for timber and converted into agricultural land. The ease of access to the border with Viet Nam exacerbates the hunting threat, since the bones of these primates are used in traditional medicine in Viet Nam. Young langurs are also captured alive, often after the mothers are killed, for captivity and “pet” trade. Several animals have been found in private tourism facilities and have been rescued from illegal trade in Laos over the years. In 2019, two Lao langurs were confiscated1 at the Bangladesh-India border, suggesting international trafficking of this species for pet trade, probably through land transport crossing the borders of Thailand, Myanmar and Bangladesh on their way to India.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/lion-cub-possibly-african-3-primates-rescued-in-city/articleshow/69615821.cms https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/lion-cub-possibly-african-3-primates-rescued-in-city/articleshow/69615821.cms https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/lion-cub-possibly-african-3-primates-rescued-in-city/articleshow/69615821.cms https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/lion-cub-possibly-african-3-primates-rescued-in-city/articleshow/69615821.cms https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/lion-cub-possibly-african-3-primates-rescued-in-city/articleshow/69615821.cms

Although a 2020 update of the IUCN Red List uplisted this species from Vulnerable to Endangered, this listing was based on a five-year-old assessment using field data more than ten years old. As such, the current conservation status of the Lao langur may be even more dire.

Coudrat, C.N.Z., Nadler, T., Phiaphalath, P. and Duckworth, J.W. 2020. Trachypithecus laotum. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T22044A17959133.

https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22044A17959133.en

Accessed 8 May 2023.

(Trachypithecus laotum)

HATINH LANGUR

All photos © Tilo Nadler

The taxonomy of the Hatinh langurs recorded in Laos has been questioned due to the colour variation, with some individuals having all black or mostly black fur. These were for a time considered as a separate species – T. ebenus, or the Indochinese black langur. Currently, the conclusion is that these black langurs are just a dark morph of the Hatinh langur.1 However, further genetic analysis may help understand why this species exists in two colour morphs in the same area.

Although the difficulty of accessing its karst habitat has historically protected the Hatinh langur, it is now heavily hunted for the wild meat and medicine trade. The langurs are particularly targeted for use in a traditional medicine named “Cao Khi” (monkey balm) in Vietnamese. New roads near Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and in Laos have not only led to habitat destruction, but to increased ease of access for hunters. In Laos, research in Hin Nam No National Park has shown that the population has declined significantly since 2006. A 2019 survey of primates in Hin Nam No estimated that there may be about 1,000 individuals of Hatinh langur (of both colour morphs) in the park, but encounter rates along survey trails declined to about 0.19 individuals/km from 0.42 individuals/km encountered in a 2009 study. In Phong Nha-Ke Bang in Viet Nam, this species is particularly threatened by hunting, including by snaring.

https://hinnamno.org/wp-content/uploads/formidable/11/146docs.pdf https://hinnamno.org/wp-content/uploads/formidable/11/146docs.pdf https://hinnamno.org/wp-content/uploads/formidable/11/146docs.pdf https://hinnamno.org/wp-content/uploads/formidable/11/146docs.pdf https://hinnamno.org/wp-content/uploads/formidable/11/146docs.pdf https://hinnamno.org/wp-content/uploads/formidable/11/146docs.pdf

ANNAMITE STRIPED RABBIT

Analysis of camera-trap photos and population trends of other co-occurring species suggests that the population of the striped rabbit may have declined by more than 50% from 2008 to 2018. Snaring affects an estimated 95% of its range. Many striped rabbits have been found dead in snares during surveys of protected areas, and snared specimens have been found in markets in Viet Nam and Laos. In recent years, they were observed being sold frequently in a market in Dak Cheung district of Xekong province in Laos. A WWF survey team found a pair in March 2021 with shotgun pellet wounds suggesting illegal hunting with firearms in that area.1 A live stripped rabbit was rescued from

the same market in February 2023 by the local law enforcement agency and transferred to a rescue centre but it died within a few days due to internal injuries. In some places, the striped rabbits are hunted with dogs and guns, because they tend to freeze when powerful light is flashed at them, making them easy to kill or catch. Very few striped rabbits were detected in camera-trap surveys in Bach Ma National Park, where there is extensive snaring, compared to more frequent detections in more remote Hue and Quang Nam saola nature reserves, indicating that their relative rarity is correlated with snaring pressure.

(Nesolagus timminsi)

RABBIT

© Leibniz-IZW / WWF-Vietnam CarBi

Annamite striped rabbits for sale in a market in Laos | © WWF-Laos

L AOTIAN GIANT

FLYING SQUIRREL

MORE INFO (Biswamoyopterus laoensis)

https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.864.33678

https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.864.33678

This flying squirrel was first described from a specimen collected in 2012 in a fresh market in Ban Thongnami, Pak Kading district, Bolikhamxay province, Laos, where it was being sold for meat. It was categorized as belonging to the same genus as another species of flying squirrel found in Namdapha National Park in Arunachal Pradesh, north-eastern India in 1981. In 2017 and 2018, two specimens of giant flying squirrels were collected in Mount Gaoligong in Yunnan province, China. Based on comparative morphology with the Laotian and Namdapha specimens, the Gaoligong squirrel was described as another new species in the same genus.

Given that only one individual of the Laotian giant flying squirrel was found, and that it was already dead, it is difficult to know much about its habitat, population or distribution. However, many wild animals sold in the Ban Thongnami fresh market are sourced from either the Nam Kading National Protected Area or the Phou

Hin Poun National Protected Area. It is likely that this specimen was sourced from dry evergreen or semi-evergreen karst forests of Nam Kading. Since it was found in a market in an area where flying squirrels are commonly found in markets, this species is thought to be threatened by hunting for meat.

Kennerley, R. 2017. Biswamoyopterus laoensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T88700294A88700297. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T88700294A88700297.en

Accessed 9 May 2023.

SQUIRREL GIANT

DD

Giant flying squirrel of an unspecified species being sold in a market in Khammouane province | © WWF-Laos

Quan Li, Xue-You Li, Stephen M. Jackson, Fei Li, Ming Jiang, Wei Zhao, Wen-Yu Song, Xue-Long Jiang 2019 | ©

KHA-NYOU

(Laonastes aenigmamus)

LC

© Stuart Chapman

© Stuart Chapman Kha-nyou for sale in a market in Laos | © WWF-Laos

This unique animal is less related to a rat and is really its own distinct species. It is considered a living fossil. It is the only living member of the family Diatomyidae, with other species in this family having gone extinct over 10 million years ago and existing only in fossil records. It was described by science only in 2005, first from specimens collected from a local market in Thakhek district in central Laos in 1996 and subsequently from specimens trapped during field surveys in nearby karst forests in 1999.

Although it is listed as a species of Least Concern in the IUCN Red List, this is now a seven-year-old assessment based on distribution information from several years before, with many assumptions about its population size and threats. It is thought that this genus, Laonastes, might actually consist of many species that look similar. Further surveys and genetic analysis may provide clarity and lead to many distinct species being described. Such splitting of the species may change their Red List status. In any case, the forest in the limestone karsts continue to be degraded, and the species is hunted and traded frequently, meaning this unique animal may be more threatened than the current assessment suggests.

Some of the karst habitats it occupies are small, but the karst habitat occurring in Phou Hin Puon National Protected Area in Khammouane province, central Laos, is large and contiguous. A population of the kha-nyou is also known from the limestone karsts on the eastern border areas of Phon Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh province, Viet Nam. However, some

of the karsts in central Laos, particularly on the peripheries of Phou Hin Poun, are being quarried to make cement, which poses a threat to local populations of this species.

A more severe and immediate threat, however, is from heavy hunting and trade. Localized declines, particularly in the more isolated populations, could lead to extirpations of potentially unique species in this genus. This species is frequently traded in local wild meat markets, even though it is not thought to be a special or “luxury” meat. Surveys conducted in the markets around Phou Hin Poun often find kha nyou being sold alongside other commonly found species such as Finlayson’s and red-cheeked squirrels.

There is a perception among conservationists that the incorrectly given English name terming it a “rat” (“Laotian rock rat”) diminishes the charisma and makes it difficult to get global public interest and conservation attention for this highly unique species.

Duckworth, J.W. 2016. Laonastes aenigmamus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T136474A22199035. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T136474A22199035.en. Accessed 9 May 2023.

AMAZING ENDEMICS BIRDS

EDWARDS’S PHEASANT

Also known as Vietnam pheasant, this pheasant was previously classified as two different species – L. edwardsi and L. hatinhensis. Historically, it was found in lowland forests on the eastern slopes of the Annamites of central Viet Nam, in Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue provinces. Although it was a fairly common species in the past, no wild individuals have been recorded since 2000, when a male bird was confiscated from a hunter and held in captivity in the Hai Lang District Forest Protection Department in Quang Tri. In 2011, dedicated camera-trap surveys were conducted in the Khe Nuoc Trong Watershed Protection Forest and Quang Binh and Dakrong Nature Reserve, but no birds of this species were found. The IUCN Red List, assessed in 2018 by BirdLife International, gives an estimated population of between 50 and 249 individuals, but some researchers have suggested it may be extinct in the wild.

A lowland species commonly found in humid forests with thick undergrowth until the 1990s. The primary forest in this pheasant’s historical range has been largely cleared for agriculture and logged for timber. Heavy use of herbicide during the Viet Nam war is also thought to have been a major cause of species decline in these forests. The remaining fragments of humid forest may not be enough for the continued persistence of this species, and any populations that exist may be very small and highly threatened.

Additionally, heavy hunting pressure and indiscriminate snaring pose a major threat. Particularly in central Viet Nam, snare densities are higher than in the rest of the

region and almost every location is riddled with snares. Since so few of these birds exist in the wild, it is no longer specially targeted for hunting, but may be caught in snares set for more common ground-dwelling birds, like the red junglefowl.

In the past, this species was illegally trafficked to China and legally exported to Europe for captive breeding. More than 1,000 individuals live in captivity in different parts of the world including in Viet Nam, North America and Europe. If suitable habitat is identified, and with effective management of protected areas and hunting reduction, the captive populations could be used to repopulate the wild.

BirdLife International. 2018. Lophura edwardsi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T45354985A129928203. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T45354985A129928203.en Accessed 9 May 2023.

MORE INFO (Lophura edwardsi)

PHEASANT

© cuatrok77 / creative commons

© cuatrok77 / creative commons

ANNAMITE CRESTED ARGUS

MORE INFO (Rheinardia ocellata)

CR

© Andrew Tilker

This species is found in the primary and secondary evergreen forests of the Annamites in Laos and Viet Nam, with its range extending from Nghe An province in the north to the Da Lat Plateau in southern Viet Nam. Previously common in the forests within this range, it is now locally extirpated and severely declined in many previously occupied sites. In an earlier IUCN Red List assessment, this species was assessed along with a subspecies (R.o. nigrescens, occurring as an isolated population in peninsular Malaysia) but the latest taxonomic classification has elevated the two subspecies to two full species.

Although the range extent is large, the remaining habitat area is no longer a valid way to estimate the population, considering the severe threats it faces and consequent population declines. Recent camera-trap surveys suggest serious depletion and potential extirpation in some sites, and a low occupancy in Bach Ma National Park and Quang Nam and Hue saola nature reserves where the species was previously abundant. Some populations seem to persist, although at much lower abundance than formerly, in areas with lower snaring pressure such as Song Thanh and Phong Dien, Bac Huong Hoa and Ngoc Linh nature reserves and Khe

Nong Ma Protected Area in Laos. Areas where it

and Lo Xo Pass in Viet Nam, but there are very few or no records of the species from these locations in recent years.

The rate of decline in the Annamites is alarming, with hunting being the most pronounced threat, exacerbated by a degraded and shrinking habitat. With intensive industrial-level snaring over the past decade driving steep declines, this previously common species is now assessed as Critically Endangered. Locally, the Annamite crested argus is hunted and traded for its meat, and it is illegally traded internationally as a “pet”. With few effective measures in place to reduce the level of snaring at the required geographical scale, the Red List assessors consider that the population decline will most likely continue.

WWF is working with forest rangers and local communities in the central Annamites to improve connectivity, tackle the snaring crisis, and increase the e ectiveness of protected areas, including in sites where the crested argus is found."

International. 2021. Rheinardia ocellata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021:

GOLDEN-WINGED LAUGHINGTHRUSH

GOLDEN-WINGED LAUGHINGTHRUSH EN

© Gareth Knass

GERMAIN’S PEACOCK PHEASANT

(Polyplectron germaini)

PHEASANT

This pheasant is found in southern Viet Nam and the adjacent provinces of Mondulkiri and Ratanakiri in eastern Cambodia, where it occurs in a number of protected areas, including Cat Tien and Bu Gia Map national parks, Cat Loc Nature Reserve, Da Lat and Di Linh plateaus, and Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary. Although found in higher concentrations in primary evergreen and semi-evergreen forest, it also occurs in lower densities in disturbed and secondary forests impacted by logging, suggesting it is relatively adaptable. However, it suffered severe habitat loss historically due to deforestation for agriculture, plantations and human settlements.

Several thousand Germain’s peacock pheasants exist in the wild, with a few protected areas estimated to contain more than 1,000 birds each. In some locations there is high hunting and trapping pressure, particularly from snares, posing a significant threat to its survival. It is traded and consumed locally as meat. Its sister species, the grey peacock-pheasant, and other ground-living Galliformes birds were snared for local consumption and trade in the forests of southern Laos in the 1990s, resulting in population declines and local extirpations. In the same period, many pheasants and other Galliformes were traded commonly in the urban markets in Ho Chi Minh City.

BirdLife

https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22679372A92812961.en Accessed 9 May 2023.

International. 2016. Polyplectron germaini. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22679372A92812961.

© Jeroen Kransen / Wikimedia Commons

ORANGE-NECKED PARTRIDGE

Originally described in 1927, this species was not seen by bird researchers again until it was rediscovered in 1991. Its range is limited to southern Viet Nam and a small part of eastern Cambodia. In this range, it is found in many sites, including Cat Tien and Bu Gia Map national parks and other state forests in Dak Nong, Lam Dong, Binh Phuoc and Dong Nai provinces where suitable habitat exists. A few records are known from Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary in Mondulkiri province in Cambodia, but the area of suitable habitat in Cambodia is thought to be as small as 70km2 .

This partridge occurs in lowland evergreen forest, and is tolerant to some degree of forest degradation, occupying habitats including logged evergreen and semi-evergreen forest, tall scrub, bamboo, and acacia plantations. However, the remaining natural habitat is highly fragmented, broken up by human dominated areas.

The IUCN Red List assessment estimates its population to be approaching 10,000, with the largest subpopulation approaching 1,000 birds. Its population is considered to have declined in the recent decades due to forest clearance and hunting in its remaining range. Historically, the heavy use of herbicides like Agent Orange and Agent White during the Viet Nam war may have triggered a population decline. Presently, the main threats to this species’ survival are commercial logging, illegal forest clearing for cashew, cassava and rubber cultivation, and

BirdLife

high hunting levels across its range. As with many Annamite species, the most pressing current threat is snaring and other forms of trapping for local consumption and for supplying the wild meat market.

The orange-necked partridge was one of the flagship species of a five-year project in the late 1990s that established a conservation management plan for Cat Tien National Park and Cat Loc Nature Reserve. Extensive surveys of Binh Phouc province resulted in a proposal to extend the boundaries of the Bu Gia Map National Park to include more habitats of the orange-necked partridge and Germain’s peacock pheasant. While the species may be relatively safe in the two national parks, its survival in the rest of its range will depend heavily on effective actions to control the widespread illegal hunting and trade.

International. 2019. Arborophila davidi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T22679054A136669497. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T22679054A136669497.en Accessed 9 May

MORE INFO (Arborophila davidi)

ORANGE-NECKED

© Gareth Knass

BARE-FACED BULBUL

LC

© K. Yoganand / WWF-Greater Mekong

This striking bulbul is unique in appearance with no feathers on the face and side of its head, blue skin around and between its eyes and orange-pink skin on the rear of its head and cheeks, as well as hair-like feathers on the crown of its head. First described only in 2009, this bird was originally classified as a member of the genus Pycnonotus – i.e., the bulbuls – but has since been reclassified as the only member of a new genus, Nok. Nok means “bird” in the Lao language, while hualon means “bald-headed”.

This species is currently not considered threatened in the IUCN Red List. However, this assessment is based on limited information and its extent of occurrence may be an overestimate.

consumption and may be trapped alive for trade as a captive “pet”. This is a common practice for native songbird species in Laos, with the red-whiskered bulbul and the black-crested

Bulbuls being sold in a market in Laos | © WWF-Laos

© K. Yoganand / WWF-Greater Mekong

AMAZING ENDEMICS REPTILES

© Thomas Calame / CC-BY-NC

REPTILES

ANNAMITE POND TURTLE

© Adam G. Stern / Wikimedia

The Vietnamese or Annamite pond turtle was locally abundant until the 1980s, even so far as to be considered a pest, as large adults would trample rice crops and wander into village houses. The 1996 Red List assessment of the species listed it as Least Concern, although a lack of information from the 1980s and 1990s probably contributed to this. Immediately after this assessment, however, international trade in the species spiked. By 2000, it had become exceedingly rare and was assessed as Critically Endangered.

Historically, the species was found in the lowlands east of the Annamites in central Viet Nam, from the Hai Van Pass in the north to the Ca Pass in the south. This pond turtle lived in marshes, wetlands, slow-moving streams, small lakes, ponds and the edges of large rivers, as well as in rice fields around villages. Now, it is thought to possibly occupy (at best) one or two small wetland habitats over a collective area of only 10 km2, with fewer than 50 individuals left in the wild. In fact, it has been reliably recorded only once in the wild in recent decades, when an individual was trapped by researchers in 2006, making it the first scientific observation in the wild in 65 years – all turtles in the intervening period were seen in trade or in human captivity.

Collection of turtles for trade first took off in the mid-1980s, at which time the Annamite pond turtle and other turtle species were being collected by the sacksful every night. By the late 1990s, only a few individuals were being seized from wildlife traders, reflecting its steep declines in the wild. Although some turtles appeared in local trade in the 2010s, they became increasingly rare. This rarity meant that capturing the few individuals left became increasingly profitable, and this led to eggs and hatchlings being collected in the hope of raising or breeding them for the trade.

The survival of Mauremys annamensis is most threatened by the unsustainable hunting and trade. Historically, they were collected locally as food, and since the 1980s were traded to China

for consumption as food or traditional medicine, and to other countries in Asia, Europe and North America as “pets”. In central Viet Nam, the blood from this pond turtle is believed to be a cure for heart disease when mixed with strong rice liquor, with the rest of the animal being consumed in tonics or soups. In the last decade, farmed turtles have become increasingly available in markets. Unfortunately, turtle farming has stimulated the overall demand and increased hunting pressure on wild turtles to supply as breeding stock for the farms, while also allowing laundering of illegally traded wild specimens as farmed animals. Some consumers believe that wild animals are healthier or more potent than farmed ones, keeping the pressure on any remaining wild turtles.

Conservationists are breeding Annamite pond turtles in captivity to try and reintroduce viable populations back into the wild in their native range. Led by the Asian Turtle Programme, captive-bred turtles from Hong Kong, Europe and North America were repatriated to Viet Nam to strengthen the genetic lineage and numbers of the local captive population in the Cuc Phuong Turtle Conservation Centre, which has now grown to over 200 individuals. Since the current set of protected areas do not contain any wild turtles or suitable habitat, the Asian Turtle Programme has worked with the Forest Protection Department of Quang Ngai province to establish a species habitat conservation area for their reintroduction. More recently, another suitable site was identified in Phu Yen province.

McCormack, T., van Dijk, P.P., Roberton, S. and Dawson, J.E. 2020. Mauremys annamensis (amended version of 2020 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T12876A182354172. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T12876A182354172.en.

BOURRET’S BOX

The Bourret’s box turtle was elevated to a full species status only in 2004. It has been recorded only from Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam and Kon Tum provinces in central Viet Nam, and from Savannakhet province in Laos. Historically found in upland, moist, closed-canopy evergreen forest, this species is ground-living and not associated with forest streams and other waterbodies. Although extensive surveys have been done to try and learn about the habitat and range of the Bourett’s and the southern Viet Nam box turtle, there is still much unknown about the species’ ecology and population size.

The Bourret’s box turtle is another victim of the “Asian turtle crisis”, when extensive turtle trade swept through the region, spiking in the 1990s. For instance, TRAFFIC’s surveys1 of turtle markets in the Mekong delta region of Viet Nam in the early 1990s found the Cuora box turtles to be the most common among the pond turtles for sale. Much like the Annamite pond turtle, the Bourret’s box turtle is hunted for the lucrative trade in meat and medicine, and for trade as “pets” and breeding stock for turtle farms. This trade has led to a population collapse of over 90% in the last few decades, with the volume in trade dropping precipitously, reflecting its increased rarity in the wild. The massive legal international trade reduced in the 2000s when the species was added to the CITES appendix for trade regulation, but unfortunately populations had already declined steeply. Illegal trafficking continues, particularly from Viet Nam to China.

Field surveys conducted in the 1990s in Laos had encounter rates of about one turtle every three months, and interviews with hunters from Quang Nam province found that they went from being able to catch 20 Bourret’s box turtles in a day in the mid-1990s to only a few turtles a week by 2006. Much like the Annamite pond turtle, most of the Bourret’s box turtles end up in China, either for traditional medicine and meat, or as pets; the current going rate for a box turtle in China is US$150, compared to US$20 in 2005.

In recent years, several Bourret’s box turtles and other turtles from threatened species, rescued from the wildlife trade and rehabilitated in the Turtle Conservation Centre in Cuc Phuong National Park, were released in suitable protected sites in their native ranges. Some Bourret’s box turtles were also released into WWF-supported protected areas in the Central Annamites, where WWF contributes to post-release protection and monitoring.

McCormack, T. and Stuart, B. 2020. Cuora bourreti. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T163447A123815632. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T163447A123815632.en. Accessed 9 May 2023.

MORE INFO

(Cuora bourreti)

BOX TURTLE CR

© Torsten Blanck / Wikimedia Commons

© Torsten Blanck / Wikimedia Commons

Unknown species of box turtles confiscated in the US | © USFWS Pacific Southwest Region / Flickr

SOUTHERN VIET NAM BOX TURTLE

This species was elevated to a full species status at the same time as the Bourret’s box turtle; both were previously considered as subspecies of the Indochinese box turtle, C. galbinifrons. The southern Viet Nam box turtle is a narrow-range endemic species known only from the eastern slopes of the Langbian Plateau in Khanh Hoa and Phu Yen provinces of southern Viet Nam. Within its range, only about 3,000km2 is thought to be occupied by this species, after considering known altitudinal range and the loss of habitat resulting from expanding agriculture.

This box turtle is another victim of the intense trade in turtles from Viet Nam to China, and as a result suffered an estimated 90% decline in population over the past few decades. The Red List assessment of 2018 estimated its population size to be no more than 3,000-10,000 at the best, but field surveys since 2010 had found only nine turtles of this species in the wild. Previously known only from the turtle trade and markets, it was first detected in the wild during a survey in 2010. That survey, carried out in 2010-11 and involving 15 days of field work by a team of four people and three trained dogs, only encountered eight turtles. Another survey in 2012 in one of the localities using a team of five dogs found only one southern Viet Nam box turtle in a week of searching.

Although the species was historically consumed as food in southern Viet Nam, the high price they garnered in the international “pet”, meat and medicine trade meant that any specimens collected since the 1990s were sold to local middlemen, who then exported or trafficked them internationally. Market surveys in China and Hong Kong from 1993 found this species being sold alongside the Bourret’s and Indochinese box turtles in their thousands as food and medicine, and more recently as pets. However, the prevalence of all these species in markets has dropped, probably reflecting their rarity in the wild. Hunted using specially trained dogs and pitfall traps, this species is collected both as mature individuals and as juveniles, with many locals attempting (and usually failing) to raise them for eventual sale for a higher price in the illegal trade. Additionally, large swathes of forest on the Langbian Plateau

have been converted to agricultural land, primarily into coffee plantations, resulting in habitat loss.

All three species of box turtle that used to be considered C. galbinifrons – the Indochinese, Bourret’s and southern Viet Nam box turtles –are protected under Viet Nam’s laws. Although enforcement has improved in recent years, these species have been collected to the brink of extinction. Only one of the known sites occupied by this species has legal protection, and at best this only protects their habitat but not the turtles from poaching. Keeping and breeding C. picturata is quite difficult, with only about 500 individuals estimated to live in captivity. For this species to survive over the long term, additional sites in the Langbian Plateau must be protected and surveys conducted to identify where it may still exist in the wild, particularly in existing protected areas. Strong enforcement of laws protecting turtles and their habitat is also essential to their survival.

McCormack, T., Stuart, B. and Blanck, T. 2020. Cuora picturata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T163463A123815952.en. Accessed 9 May 2023.

© Adrian Pingstone / Wikimedia Commons

TRUONG SON PIT

(Trimeresurus truongsonensis)

This rare and elusive pit viper, endemic to a small part of the Central Annamites, was first recorded from Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh province, Viet Nam. However, interviews with local hunters suggest the species can be found elsewhere in Quang Binh as well as in Quang Tri province further south. It was described as a new species in 2004. In 2019, it was recorded for the first time in Laos, near Hin Nam No National Park, which is contiguous with Viet Nam’s Phong Nhe-Ke Bang. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989421000056?via%3Dihub

It occurs in evergreen forest and limestone karst habitats. Most records of this species came after heavy rain storms, when they were found basking on mossy karst rocks. They are believed to spend most of their time deep in the crevices created by karst formations and are rarely seen in the dry season. Some of their habitat, even within the national parks, is threatened by logging and conversion for agriculture.

An even greater threat to this species is likely to come from the “pet” trade. Many closely related pit viper species are commonly traded and kept as pets, making overharvesting a serious threat to their survival. For instance, the Mangshan pit viper of southern China, a similarly range-restricted endemic and also assessed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List with an estimated population of no more than 500 snakes, is threatened by overharvesting for international trade as pets and for terrarium keeping. Due to this threat, it was listed in 2013 in Appendix II of CITES, regulating international trade.

The Truong Son pit viper, a beautiful and rare snake, would be similarly desirable for collectors of rare reptiles. Among the live

wildlife globally traded as pets, snakes and turtles are in the top-five taxa, along with ornamental fish, parrots and other birds. The international convention for regulating international trade in endangered species of wildlife, CITES, lists for regulation only 164 of the 3,000+ snake species in the world. A 2020 study calculated that 6.2 million CITES Appendix II-listed live snakes were traded in the 44 years between 1975 and 2018. But this number reflects only a small percentage of the actual volume of snakes traded legally but not regulated by CITES and those illegally traded.

Stuart, B., Grismer, L. and Nguyen, T.Q. 2022. Trimeresurus truongsonensis (amended version of 2012 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T191947A217766216.

PIT VIPER EN

Parinya Pawangkhanant

Wikimedia commons

INTERMEDIATE SUNBEAM SNAKE

NOT RED LIST ASSESSED (Xenopeltis intermedius)

© Nikolai L. Orlov

SNAKE

This Central Annamites endemic snake was described as a new species only in 2022 based on specimens collected in 2006. It is known from just one high elevation montane evergreen forest locality in Kon Tum province of Viet Nam. Its current population and conservation status is unknown, but given its very narrow distribution range and the prevalence of sunbeam snakes in the international “pet” trade, overharvesting for trade is likely to pose a threat.

Sunbeam snakes, named for their iridescent scales, are widely distributed across Southeast Asia. The intermediate sunbeam snake is only the third species of Xenopeltis, the only genus in the family, joining the widespread common sunbeam snake (X. unicolour), and X. hainanensis, found in southeastern China and northern Viet Nam. All sunbeam snakes are fossorial, spending most of their time below ground. Like all sunbeam snakes, the intermediate sunbeam snake has a highly iridescent scale surface, making it an attractive species for trade.

Sunbeam snakes are collected from the wild for both pet and skin trade, particularly in Viet Nam where they have been heavily exploited for many decades. For instance, 875 common sunbeam snakes were seen for sale in a month in 2000 at local reptile shops in southern Viet Nam. Further back in the 1990s, TRAFFIC surveys showed that common sunbeam snakes were sold in bulk, along with rat snakes and cobras, in Cau Mong market in southern Viet Nam. They are not protected under Viet Nam national law or regulated by the international trade convention, CITES. This is partly because the common sunbeam snake, X. unicolor, is widely distributed across southeast Asia and common locally. However, this status can change quickly as a result of overexploitation, as seen for numerous turtles and other reptile species in the region. The intermediate sunbeam snake, possibly a narrow-range endemic and relatively rare, could easily be decimated by overexploitation, even before anyone realizes this is a newly described species. Two 2020 studies1 highlighted that newly described species are particularly threatened by trade because they do not get timely protection under national laws or international trade regulations, nor are they assessed speedily by the IUCN Red List. New species, like rare and endemic species, are often targeted by collectors and traders because they can be highly marketable and profitable.

Orlov, N.,

Journal of Herpetology 29: 237-249.

http://www.doi.org/10.30906/1026-2296-2022-29-4-237-249

1 Altherr, S. and Lameter, K. 2020. The rush for the rare: Reptiles and amphibians in the European pet trade. Animals 10(11):2085. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10112085; Marshall, B.M., Strine, C. and Hughes, A.C. 2020. Thousands of reptile species threatened by under-regulated global trade. Nature Communications 11: 4738. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18523-4

Snetkov, P., Ermakov, O., Nguyen, T. and Ananjeva, N. 2022. Integrative taxonomy reveals a new cryptic species of Xenopeltis Gray, 1831 (Ophidia: Macrostomata: Pythonoidea: Xenopeltidae) from Central Highlands, Vietnam. Russian

NATALIA'S HORNED (GIA

LAI PRICKLENAPE)

MORE INFO (Acanthosaura nataliae)

© Andrew Tilker / CC-BY-NC

© Andrew Tilker / CC-BY-NC

HORNED DRAGON

Described as a new species in 2006, this horned dragon lives in the Central Annamite mountains, in mid-elevation submontane evergreen forests. It can be found in Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Kon Tum, and Gia Lai provinces in Viet Nam, Salavan and Sekong provinces in Laos, and Virachey National Park in Ratanakiri province in Cambodia. It lives on the trunks of tall trees as an adult, and occupies bushes and undergrowth as a juvenile. It is not known to survive in deforested areas or tree plantations, so forest conversion for agriculture and plantation expansion are a serious threat to its survival.

More importantly, this species and others in the Acanthosaura genus are found in the international “pet” trade, and are popular among collectors of exotic lizards. There is hardly any regulation or monitoring of the number of individuals collected from the wild in Viet Nam or Laos and entering the pet trade. Natalia’s horned dragon is not protected under the wildlife laws of Viet Nam, Laos or Cambodia and its international trade is not regulated under the CITES convention. Although it is listed as a species of Least Concern in the IUCN Red List, it was last assessed in 2017 and may be declining from the dual threat of habitat loss

and trade. The 2017 assessment lists the species as being uncommon and says there is little information available on its population trends.

A similarly exploited species prevalent in the international pet trade, the Indochinese water dragon (Physignathus cocincinus), was recently listed in Appendix II of CITES, bringing it under regulation for international trade. Exploitation of this species was particularly severe in Viet Nam for the pet trade destined for Europe and the USA and for domestic pet and meat trade, resulting in steep population declines in northern and central Viet Nam.

1 Marshall, B.M., Strine, C. and Hughes, A.C. 2020. Thousands of reptile species threatened by under-regulated global trade. Nature Communications 11(1): 4738. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18523-4

Nguyen, T.Q., Nguyen, N.S., Stuart, B., Phimmachak, S., Neang, T., Golynsky, E. and

Milto,

K. 2018. Acanthosaura nataliae. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T99928179A99928181. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T99928179A99928181.en. Accessed 9 May 2023.

“Approximately 90% of traded reptile species and half of traded individuals are captured from the wild. These species include numerous endangered or range-restricted species, especially in hotspots within Asia. Exploitation can occur immediately a er scientific description, leaving new endemic species especially vulnerable. Pronounced gaps in regulation imply trade is having unknown impacts on numerous threatened species.” 1

(Marshall, Strine and Hughes, 2020)

AMAZING ENDEMICS AMPHIBIANS

AMPHIBIANS

LAO NEWT

(Laotriton laoensis)

The Lao newt was discovered only in 2002 and was the first known member of the salamander family in Laos. The researcher who described the species first saw it steeped in a bottle of alcohol used by villagers as traditional medicine. It occurs over a small range between 1,100m and 1,500m elevation along the northern edge of the Annamites, where the Annamite range transitions into the Luang Prabang mountains of northern Laos. It is not known to occur to the east of this range and across the Viet Nam border, and is therefore wholly endemic to Laos.

Although the species is found frequently in pools at the headwaters of streams, its range is limited and probably occurs as small isolated populations.

it more lucrative to sell to foreigners than local markets.

https://doi.org/10.1670/0022-1511(2002)036%5B0145:ANSOTG%5D2.0.CO;2 https://doi.org/10.1670/0022-1511(2002)036%5B0145:ANSOTG%5D2.0.CO;2 https://doi.org/10.1670/0022-1511(2002)036%5B0145:ANSOTG%5D2.0.CO;2 https://doi.org/10.1670/0022-1511(2002)036%5B0145:ANSOTG%5D2.0.CO;2

The description of the species in 2002 had an unintended consequence: local harvesting for the international “pet” trade, and to a lesser extent, for traditional medicine and meat. The novelty and rarity of the new species led to demand, particularly from European and Japanese collectors, and a trend of unsustainable overharvesting began. Being brightly coloured and active during the day in clear water, Lao newts were easy to catch, and some subpopulations were harvested within a few days and sold by the hundreds or by the kilogram for the pet trade. The 2013 Red List assessment estimated that it probably suffered a 50% population decline in the first decade after its discovery due to a combination of overhunting and loss and degradation of its habitat.

Before being introduced into the international pet market, the species was consumed locally and traded as meat and traditional medicine. However, the demand from pet keepers made

IUCN

No national or provincial protected areas cover this species’ range. In 2008, it was listed as a Category 1 protected species under the Lao Wildlife and Aquatic Law, prohibiting its commercial exploitation – the first amphibian species to receive such protection in Laos. However, legal protection often means nothing in reality due to weak law enforcement, and this and other species of amphibians are still threatened by local collection. Therefore, conservation breeding and habitat protection must be prioritized to ensure its continued survival.

https://doi.org/10.1670/11-044 https://doi.org/10.1670/11-044

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In 2023, at the same time as the similarly threatened Indochinese water dragon, the Lao newt was listed under CITES Appendix II, meaning no wild-taken specimens can be traded internationally for commercial purposes. Unfortunately, this listing came 10 years after it was called for by the Lao newt researchers and after it was listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List – a typical case of CITES parties acting too slowly.

SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. 2014. Laotriton laoensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014: e.T59461A47152908. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T59461A47152908.en. Accessed 9 May 2023.

1 Krishnasamy, K. and Zavagli, M. 2020. Southeast Asia: At the heart of wildlife trade. TRAFFIC, Southeast Asia Regional Office, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. 105pp.

“The trade in amphibians involves billions of animals annually, with trade occurring both legally (trade is not prohibited by governments) and illegally (most notably laundered through a lack of government regulation or a lack of adequate protection for the amphibian species). The lack of accurate and complete data on the trade, for both pets and meat, makes it impossible to monitor and accurately assess this threat, including the levels at which legal trade in

wild-caught specimens would be considered sustainable.”

(Krishnasamy and Zavagli, 2020)1

Lao newt in the wild | © Somphouthone Phimmachak

Lao newt being dried for consumption in a road worker camp in Laos | © Somphouthone Phimmachak