From the 8th to 12th September 2014, Wildlife At Risk (WAR) co-operated with U Minh Thuong National Park – Kien Giang Province, to organise a training course titled “Using open source applications in natural resource management” for 23 staff from national parks and protected areas in the Western South Provinces. The training course introduces open source softwares in mapping and managing of natural resources.

The training course introduced a number of open source applications on Linux operating system such as: QGIS, GRASS GIS, and GPS Banle for mapping and database; GIMP and Scribus for graphic design; and Libre Office for office applications. At the training course, the participants practiced on laptops on maps of their protected areas. They also took photos of U Minh Thuong National Park and processed the photos on GIMP (An image Processing open software).The participations were totally exciting with the training course. “This course is very useful for me. The QGIS helps me to analyse and present our natural resource maps better. I will definitely use QGIS instead of the software that I am using now” – said Mr. Nguyen Van Ut, conservation staff from Lang Sen Wetland Reserve.

According to Mr. Bui Huu Manh, Senior Conservation Officer from WAR who was trainer of the course: “Open source applications are quite powerful. It’s functions are adequate and strong in natural resource management. For anyone who could not afford commercial software, open source applications are right choices”.

August 2014 – Wildlife At Risk (WAR) has just announced a new plan species for Vietnam i.e the Hoya yuennanensis or “Cẩm cù vân nam” in Vietnamese. Hoya yuennanensis was recorded during a biodiversity survey conducted by WAR in Bidoup – Nui Ba National Park, Lam Dong Province, last May.

The plant with a few clusters of fragrant star-shaped flowers was found in the evergreen forest at the altitude of 1600m at Cong Troi area. The species that is a liana grows from the earth, or parasites on rotten wood and wet substrates.

This spwecies was described for the first time in 1936 in Yunnan Province, China. The plan was known as an endemic specis for Yunnan. This is the first time, Hoya yuennanensis has been recorded in Vietnam. With this discovery, the total number of Hoya species in Vietnam is 27 species.Sample collection and identification of the species was done by Pham Đoan Quoc Vuong – a WAR’s Biologist,  with the support of Prof. Leonid V. Averyanov from Komarov Botanical Institute, Russia and Mr. Pham Van The from Institute of Ecology and biological Resources Vietnam – IEBR. Please see the announcement of Hoya yuennanensis here. Some other discoveries on biodiversity of Bidoup – Nui Ba National Park were also recorded by WAR. These discoveries will be announced in the coming time.

Please see our press release and photos of the teacher training workshop on integrating wildlife protection into Biology Subject Grade 7. The activity was conducted this morning with the participation of approximately 300 teachers from all secondary schools in Ho Chi Minh City.

 Please download photos here 

Press release here

Kien Giang, dated 20 June 2014 –The Wildlife Summer Camp that lasted for five days and four nights at Hon Me Wildlife Rescue Station had an exciting atmosphere. A series of meaningful and entertaining activities at the Camp aimed to connect youth and wildlife conservation. This Wildlife Summer Camp, also called “Summer Move”, is an annual programme launched by Wildlife At Risk (WAR) in June 2013. The Wildlife Summer Camp 2014 was organised by WAR with financial support from Beyond Cosmetic.  

Participating in the Wildlife Summer Camp 2014 (The Camp) were 35 students from different universities in Ho Chi Minh City. Most of them were selected from a letter writing contest where students were asked to imagine that they were an endangered animal that was about to become extinct due to illegal consumption. They had to write a letter to humans asking for help. Some of the participants are excellent volunteers of the SOS Travelling Exhibition and the rest are winners of WAR’s contests during the past year. 

At the Camp, the students learnt about wildlife and experienced practical rescue activities at Hon Me WRS. With the theme “Grown with love”, a highlight of the Camp this year was growing plants for rescued wildlife and forest trees at the Station. In addition, the students worked with WAR staff in normal daily activities such as cleaning enclosures, preparing food and feeding wildlife. 

Also in this Camp, the students learnt and discussed different jobs related to wildlife conservation and identifying suitable jobs that might interest them in the future. They were also learning and practicing different skills such as taking good photos, forest hiking, observing wildlife at night, using camera traps, taking photos of wildlife using special equipment.

In addition to the above wildlife protection activities, a series of entertaining activities and social skills training were also designed in order to help the students learn, work and enjoy life better. 

The Camp not only connected the students to wildlife conservation activities but also connect them together in a network of future wildlife conservation supporters.“

Based on the success of this Wildlife Summer Camp, WAR will develop and organise similar activities to bring more opportunities for youngsters to experience nature and wildlife and wildlife protection jobs. WAR expects that the youth will be more interested in a profession with wildlife and to take practical action towards wildlife protectionboth now and in the future after their experiences”, said Mrs. Huyen Do Thi Thanh, Wildlife Education Manger, WAR said. 

Please download the first press release here. 

To view some photos of the Summer Move 2014, please click here. 

Contact

Wildlife At Risk (WAR)

202/10 Nguyen Xi St., Ward 26, Binh Thanh Dist., HCMC

Tel:08 3899 7314;

Fax:08 3899 7316,

Mobile: 0912287156

Email: info@wildlifeatrisk.org,

Website: www.wildlifeatrisk.org

This thirty-four-page booklet, sized 14.5X20.5cm, in Vietnamese, introduces 34 species of reptiles and amphibians living in the wild at Hon Me and the surrounding. The booklet includes seven amphibian species belonging to four families, and 27 reptile species belonging to seven families. Each species also includes information about its level of common and observation time. The booklet is illustrated by over 70 live photos taken from 2011 to 2013. The booklet aims to support WAR’s conservation activities at Hon Me Wildlife Rescue Station. It is also helpful for local decision makers on conservation, sustainable development, and environmental education activities for local people and tourists.

WAR also has conducted other biodiversity surveys including wild plants, butterflies, birds, animals and some insects. Result of those surveys will be announced in the future.

For further requirements or comments, please contact Mr. Nguyen Vu Khoi – CEO,  Wildlife At Risk at nvkhoi70@gmail.com or info@wildlifeatrisk.org.

Ho Chi Minh City, dated 24 April 2014 – Wildlife At Risk (WAR) is pleased to announce that the annual programme titled “Wildlife Summer Camp 2014” or also called “Summer Move”, which was launched last year, will be organised this coming June with financial support from Beyond Cosmetic.   

Wildlife Summer Camp 2014 is designed to include practical and interactive activities. In order to attract volunteers to the benefits of a care er in wildlife protection the activities will be conducted in an exciting and creative manner. The programme aims to connect youth to wildlife conservation through helping them identify suitable jobs and to inspire them to take actions to protect wildlife both now and for the future. 

The theme of Wildlife Summer Camp 2014 is “Grown with love”. The programme will last for five days and four nights at WAR’s Hon Me Wildlife Rescue Station. During the programme, volunteers who come from different universities in Ho Chi Minh City will experience daily rescue activities such as preparing food and feeding wildlife, cleaning wildlife enclosures. They will raise awareness of local people on wildlife protection and be equipped with skills related to the profession such as photography, camera trap setting up, and forest surveying. A highlight of the Camp this year is growing food plants for rescued wildlife and forest trees at the Station. 

In order to find suitable students for the Wildlife Summer Camp 2014, a letter writing contest was launched by WAR. In the contest, students were asked to imagine that they were an endangered wildlife and that were about to become extinct due to illegal consumption; they had to write a letter to humans asking for help. The contest lasts from 24 April to 20 May 2014 with the winners of the contest participating in the Wildlife Summer Camp 2014. 

Ms. Huyen Do Thi Thanh – Wildlife Education Manager, WAR added that “About 35 of the best university students will join the Wildlife Summer Camp 2014 at Hon Wildlife Rescue Station this June.We are carefully preparing the programme so that it will continue to encourage and inspire the participants in wildlife protection. If you have a desire to protect wildlife but do not know where to start, you should apply to take part in our Wildlife Summer Camp 2014”.

Please see the contest rules for selecting participants for Wildlife Summer Camp 2014 here.

Click here for full press release and here for photos of Wildlife Summer Camp 2013, or also called Summer Move 2013.

April 2014 – Wildlife At Risk (WAR) and Phu Quoc Marine Protected Area (MPA) organised a five-day study tour on marine conservation and education at Nui Chua National Park, Ninh Thuan Province for approximately 30 leaders and staff from relevant functional agencies on Phu Quoc Island, Kien Giang Province. This is one activity of the project entitled “Conservation of Dugong and Biodiversity of Phu Quoc and Tho Chu Islands” conducted by WAR and Phu Quoc MPA for the period of 2013 to 2015.

Participated in the study tour were local leaders and staff on Phu Quoc Island including Department of Education and Training, Department of Nature Resource and Environment, Department of Economics, Culture and Tourism Center, District Youth Union, a number of Border Posts and community volunteer groups, principals and teachers managing six Marine Conservation Clubs of six local secondary schools, Phu Quoc MPA, and WAR.Participants were exciting to share experiences and to exchange relationships with staff of Nui Chua National Park. They also visited numerous typical landscapes of the Park, including coral reefs and dry forest. Delegates also met with teachers and students of Ngo Quyen and Nguyen Van Linh secondary schools of Ninh Hai District in order to share experiences on marine conservation initiatives. “The study tour is quite useful. It helped us to be aware that strong cooperation amongst relevant functional authorities is key to the success in marine conservation, especially in education and communication activities” – shared Mr. Dong Thanh Dat, Head of the Department of Education and Training. Most of the delegates committed that they would apply what they learnt at Nui Chua National Park to their jobs in order to conserve marine resources. The trip also connected each delegate to the others and toward saving endangered marine creatures. This will hopefully result in stronger cooperation among relevant bodies on Phu Quoc Island in marine conservation activities in the future.

Please click here to see some photos of the study tour

February, 2014 – Approximately 70 leaders and teachers from Tan Phu and Binh Tan Districts respectively participated in two meetings organised at Cu Chi Wildlife Rescue Station to conclude the plan to integrate wildlife protection into Biology Subject Grade 7. This activity is under the framework of the SOS programme for academic year 2013 – 2014. Participated in the two meetings of Tan Phu And Binh Tan districts were representatives of the District Department of Education and Training (DOET), school managers, and teachers of Biology Subject Grade 7 from all secondary schools of the district. All participants enthusiastically discussed and gave constructive comments on the supporting materials those are included supported photos and video clips.

“The supported materials including the instruction manual and teaching aids are very useful and user friendly for teachers to teach about wildlife protection. We are wholeheartedly committed to support WAR in integrating wildlife protection content into our school curriculum. The plan will be immediately implemented“, said Ms. Hoang Nguyen Thi Kim, The Senior Education Specialist, Tan Phu DOE.At the end of the meeting, all schools decided to integrate wildlife protection into Biology Subject Grade 7 for all students in each of the two districts. Each school received two sets of supporting materials.   Since the sample lesson for students of Truong Cong Dinh Secondary School, Binh Thanh District on 6^th December 2013, 12 secondary schools of Binh Thanh District have been integrating wildlife protection content into five lessons forward of Biology Subject for Grade 7. The integrating programme will be continuously applied to all secondary schools of Binh Thanh, Tan Phu and Binh Tan Districts in the coming time. As a part of each district meeting, education managers and teachers also visited and learnt about endangered species rescued at Cu Chi Wildlife Rescue Station, as well as current situation of wildlife consumption. They were inspired by what WAR is doing to rescue endangered wildlife of Vietnam and show their positive attitude toward wildlife protection.   Please download the Instruction materials and teaching aids here

The People’s Court of Phu Quoc District, Kien Giang Province has just punished by terms of imprisonment the four killers of the Indochinese Silvered Langur on Phu Quoc Island. According to this sentence, each indictee is going to be imprisoned from two to two and a half year.  At 8.30AM on 30 July 2013, Vo Van Thong born in 1976, Nguyen Minh Ha born in 1978, Duong Cong Luc, born in 1977 and Huynh Huu Loc born in 1979 (all resided on Phu Quoc Island, Kien Giang Province) went into the strictly protection forest of Phu Quoc National Park to hunt wildlife for meat. Two individuals of Indochinese Silvered Langur were shot, killed and partly eaten. While killing the third individual, the four were caught in action by the Park’s rangers. Proofs were included three bodies of Indochinese Silvered Langurs those are partly eaten, one sport gun, three knives, one hammer and two motorbikes.

On 6^th September 2013, all four indictees were arrested and imprisoned for judging court. The three bodies of the Indochinese Silvered Langur were identified and confirmed by Wildlife At Risk (WAR) and The Institute of Ecological and Biological Resources, Hanoi, specimen is maintained by WAR.  

 On 20 January 2014, the People’s Court of Phu Quoc District, Kien Giang Province accused the four indictees of violating government regulations on endangered wildlife management. Accordingly, the Court sentenced Vo Van Thong and Nguyen Minh Ha two years and six months of imprisonment, and Duong Cong Luc and Huynh Huu Loc two years of imprisonment.  The specimen is decided to be buried. Silvered Langur is an endangered species that is native to Kien Giang Province. The species is listed in IUCN Red Book and is categorized as vulnerable species (VU level) in Vietnamese Red Book. The Silvered Langur is listed in the IB animal group under Decree 32/2006 NĐ-CP of the government on endangered wildlife management.

Ms. Do Thi Thanh Huyen, WAR’s Wildlife Education Manager expressed that: “The sentence is not the highest of its frame. But it is strict enough to be a lesson for anyone who is intent or is hunting, transporting and consuming endangered wildlife. We highly appreciate those enforcement efforts of Phu Quoc District, Kien Giang Province. We also expect that more local people will take actions in wildlife protection”. Please see more news about this case here, and some photos of the Indochinese Silvered Langur here. 

Since April 2012, Hoang Phap Pagoda, Hooc Mon District, has handed over 41 individuals of endangered wildlife in 17 times to Cu Chi Wildlife Rescue Station (WRS). This is the first pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City that has joined WAR rescue and release endangered wildlife. The species those were handed include Siamese Crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis), King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), Monocellated Cobra (Naja naja kaouthia), Common Rat Snake (Ptyas mucosus), Yellow-headed Temple Turtle (Heosemys annandalii), Elongated Tortoise (Indotestudo elongata), Malayan Snail-eating Turtle (Malayemys Macrocephala), Small Indian Civet (Viverricula indica), Burmese Ferret-badger (Melogale personata) and Flying Squirrel (Hylopeteslepidus). Most of the individuals were given to the Pagoda by local Buddhists for good-luck releasing.   

 Thirty nine individual out of the 41 were successfully released back to the wild. Some were witnessed by the Buddist monks and local people. The wildlife were released to protected forests such as Dong Voi, Cu Chi District, Cat Tien National Park, Dong Nai Province, and Lo Go Xa Mat National Park, Tay Ninh Province. In addition, the Hoang Phap Pagoda donated cash for feeding these rescued species. Recently, a Burmese Ferret-badger was handed over to Cu Chi WRS together with some cash for its food. According to the Pagoda, the cash was donated by local Buddhists. This is the fifth time the pagoda has donated cash to Cu Chi WRS. The activities showes the pagoda’s willing toward wildlife protection. 

WAR highly appreciates and extremely thanks for the contribution of Hoang Phap Pagoda and other companies, schools and individuals for joining us rescue and release wildlife back to the wild.