Save Vietnam's Wildlife Newsletter

Dear Friends and Supporters, we are excited to bring you several pieces of good news this month: Pangolins ready for release with transmitters for our new radio-tracking project, Rescue of a Leopard Cat, Preparations for a new season at the rescue center and in the field, and more..

Leopard Cats are no pets!

Mid- March our Rapid Response Team rescued a young male leopard cat that had been kept as a pet in Hanoi. The animal was kept in a small cage and was very stressed and scared when the team arrived. Upon arrival, our veterinarians conducted a visual health check, weighed the animal and brought it to a quarantine enclosure. The quarantine period is used to monitor behavior, do fecal tests and to assess whether the animal could be released. The cat has settled in well and seems very healthy, so hopefully we will be able to release him very soon!

Systematic camera-trapping workshop

In early March, our field researcher Tan, was invited by IZW to join a camera-trapping training course hosted by WWF-Vietnam. This week-long course in Phong Dien Nature Reserve gave Tan training on how to do systematic camera-trapping: an activity we will be doing in Pu Mat National Park next month.

Radio-tracking pangolins: ready for release

In end of March, we selected the 4 Sunda Pangolins, 2 males and 2 females, that will be released with transmitters. Our Research team attached the transmitters, under the watchful eye of our veterinarian, and give the pangolins individuals identification markings. We will release the pangolins in the beginning of April and start the radio-tracking project.

This is very exciting and we will keep you updated on the project!

Developing new education material for kids

Since the beginning of this school year, we had 1729 children, 268 teachers and parents from 21 kindergarten schools joining our wildlife education program. The program still keeps going and will finish at the end of May 2018. In the mean time, we are always looking for new and fun ways to spread our conservation message. 

Together with the Global Conservation Force we are developing a cards collection for children. The content of the collection will widen children’s knowledge about eight threatened wildlife with animal’s unique information, its threats and our education messages. By bringing the cards back home and interacting with families and friends, the children will help spread our conservation message to the public.

Update: Why do people hunt wildlife?

Our Outreach team is in the middle of a new social research to understand the local communities around one of the largest national park in Vietnam. The study aims to understand what motivate people to hunt wildlife. They also work to inspire and to engage local communities surrounding our stronghold to protect wildlife and reduce their impact on wildlife populations.

In March, the research team finished interviewing all community gatekeepers. The team interviews members of the general public at the moment and they will start with interviewing hunters soon.

It's Owston's Civet breeding season!

The Wildlife rescue center team has been busy preparing for the breeding season of our beautiful Owston’s Civets. These animals are part of an international conservation breeding program and this year Save Vietnam’s Wildlife has 4 breeding pairs.The keepers have been working hard on upgrading the enclosures by replacing branches and building new nest boxes for the animals to give birth in. 

This elusive and endangered species is only found in Vietnam and Laos. They are mainly ground dwelling and threatened by snare traps and disappearance of their habitat. Owston’s civet is one of the focus species of our field research and community conservation work and we hope that one day we will release captive bred animals back to the wild in safe habitats.

Last year in March we rescued three Owston’s civets from the illegal wildlife trade. These three individuals, two males (Jet and Thong) and one female (May) have all been paired up with a partner and we are hoping for healthy offspring this year!

Elisa Panjang at Save Vietnam's Wildlife

Elisa Panjang, PhD student researching Sunda Pangolins in Malaysia, visited SVW’s Wildlife rescue center and joined our team for two weeks. Elisa was here to exchange knowledge about conservation research of Sunda Pangolin and to learn about running a rescue center for pangolins.

She joined our keepers at the rescue center to learn about pangolin husbandry and spend time with our vets to learn about veterinary care. Elisa also talked with our education team about our wildlife education program for schoolchildren and her work as Pangolin Conservation Officer at the Danau Girang Field Center.

The team: Welcom Ngan!

Le Thi Kim Ngan, our new Senior Education and Outreach Officer, has been active in wildlife conservation education since 2010. She worked with leading industry experts in Vietnam, participating in organizing Environmental Education training courses, developed a wide range of important skills in managing and developing programs about nature education and communication. She strongly believes that humans live in harmony with nature in the future and that Education and Communication are key factors and indispensable.

Thank you!

For reading our newsletter and for supporting us
on every single project, rescue or release.

See you next month!

Vietnam's precious wildlife thanks you
for your invaluable contribution to our work.