Last weekend, forest rangers and the anti-poaching team of Pu Mat National Park apprehended a group of five individuals using homemade guns for illegal wildlife hunting within the park's boundaries. The team seized five homemade guns, the carcasses of two Phayre's langurs (Trachypithecus phayrei), one live wild boar, the dried legs and bones of another wild boar, and various types of traps.

On January 13, 2019, all five hunters were transferred to the Pu Mat National Park headquarters and handed over to the Con Cuong District Police for processing. Information gathered during questioning revealed that the five hunters were residents of Lien Huong village, Tam Quang commune, Tuong Duong district.

The killing of two Phayre's langurs—a wildlife species listed as endangered, precious, and rare, and prioritized for protection under the Government's Decree 160/2013/ND-CP—is a serious offense. Under Article 244 of the Penal Code, the illegal hunting of these two Phayre's langurs carries a potential penalty of one to five years in prison and/or a fine ranging from 500 million to 2 billion VND.

Pu Mat National Park is collaborating with Save Vietnam’s Wildlife (SVW) to intensify patrols and anti-poaching efforts. Forest rangers and the specialized protection force have been conducting continuous patrols, apprehending individuals violating forest management and wildlife protection regulations. Two weeks prior, the park's rangers and protection officers arrested seven individuals from Khe Bu village, Chau Khe commune, Con Cuong district, with nine homemade guns and seized evidence including dried monkeys, flying squirrels, and rats. Those individuals were issued administrative fines totaling 36 million VND.

To strengthen outreach efforts aimed at shifting the mindset of local residents and authorities regarding wildlife conservation, Pu Mat National Park and SVW have been working with the People's Committees of Anh Son, Con Cuong, and Tuong Duong districts since September 2018 to organize three workshops on increasing

inter-agency cooperation for wildlife protection at Pu Mat National Park. These workshops were attended by 206 leaders representing the District Party Committees, the People's Committees of the three districts, as well as agencies such as the District Forest Protection Department, District Police, the People's Procuracy, the People's Court, and border guard stations adjacent to Pu Mat National Park. Additionally, the park has partnered with the People's Committees of buffer zone communes to organize nine workshops on economic development solutions and improving the effectiveness of wildlife protection management in the three districts. These commune-level workshops saw the participation of 1,155 local residents, including individuals involved in hunting and wildlife trade, as well as local government officials.

Notably, on the very day that Pu Mat National Park and the center held a workshop in Tam Quang commune, Tuong Duong district, to promote wildlife protection laws and discuss conservation solutions, all five of the aforementioned hunters skipped the event to go into the forest to hunt. Such illegal wildlife hunting must be punished, and these individuals will certainly face criminal charges in the near future. This serves as a stern lesson for those who disregard the law. Currently, the use of homemade guns for wildlife hunting is becoming increasingly prevalent in the mountainous regions of western Nghe An. This poses a serious threat to wildlife populations and creates significant risks to local security and order.

Pu Mat National Park reiterates that all violations of forest management and wildlife hunting regulations within the park's boundaries are strictly prohibited. Forest rangers and the anti-poaching team will intensify patrols and strictly handle all violations. We will continue to provide updates on the legal proceedings against the individuals who killed the two Phayre's langurs.

‍