Bach Ma National Park in Thua Thien-Hue Province, central Vietnam.
Photo by VnExpress/Kelvin Long. 

A critically endangered red-shanked douc was released on Wednesday into Bach Ma National Park in Thua Thien-Hue Province, a famed trekking destination.  

Phan Hieu, a local resident in the central province's Huong Thuy Town found the primate near Ta Trach Lake and quickly contacted local forest rangers to take charge.

The forest area around the lake is not a suitable habitat for the red-shanked douc langur, so Huong Thuy Town's forest protection department decided to release the 6.3-kilogram primate into Bach Ma National Park.

Forest rangers take a red-shanked douc to Bach Ma National Park by car, May 5, 2021.
Photo by VnExpress/Cong Bang.

Nguyen Vu Linh, director of the park's management board, said the animal is in a good health. Park staff will keep a close watch on its movements and ability to integrate into red-shanked douc herds.

The red-shanked douc is a rare and endemic species in Vietnam. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) placed them on the list of animals in need of unconditional protection.

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.

Researchers said the park 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.

Bach Ma is also home to many deserted villas formerly used by colonial French officers and Hue’s upper-class families.