Troops of red-shanked doucs at Bach Ma National Park in north central Thua Thien-Hue Province have been enjoying the lull in visitor numbers imposed by the lurking Covid-19 pandemic. 

Multiple red-shanked doucs could be spotted at Bach Ma National Park in north central Thua Thien-Hue Province at the start of spring.

Nguyen Vu Linh, director of the national park, said there are around 12 troops of doucs with over 128 individuals. Around six troops, amounting to over 85 doucs, reside in the Bach Ma mountain area inside the park.

"The troops of doucs only returned to the mountains three to four years ago. It means the ecosystem here has been protected well," Linh said.

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, few visitors have toured the park recently, allowing the doucs to forage further afield.

A douc hangs from a tree branch.

The doucs instinctively seek out young leaves to feed on. A loud noise would cause the entire troop to flee the scene.

Many photographers take advantage of the quiet park for creative inspiration. Some even traversed jungles deep within the reserve, hoping to capture the daily lives of doucs.

Besides photographers, foreign researchers have also been visiting for months at a time to study the doucs and their behavior.

Spanning 37,500 hectares and covered by evergreen tropical and subtropical rainforests, Bach Ma National Park affords red-shanked doucs the ideal habitat within which to thrive.

Besides red-shanked doucs, the park is also home to several other endangered animal species. Researchers said the reserve harbors over 1,700 animal species, accounting for 7 percent of all species currently in Vietnam. A total 69 species are named in the Red List of Threatened Species, including dholes, leopards and saola. Fifteen species are endemic to Vietnam, mostly birds.