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Rare endangered serow spotted in northern Vietnam forest

1/8/2026 7:07:00 AM

Biologists have recorded a rare and endangered serow in a limestone forest in Ninh Binh Province, confirming the species is breeding in the wild.

 Representatives of the Centre for Resource, Environment and Climate Change (CeREC) said long-term wildlife surveys in a protection forest in Dong Thai Commune have documented several rare species listed in both Vietnam’s and the global Red Books.

Images captured by camera traps and thermal unmanned aerial vehicles confirmed the presence of the endangered serow and the critically endangered Delacour’s langur. The serow is classified as endangered, while the langur is listed as critically endangered.
 

Tilo Nadler, a CeREC expert, said thermal drone surveys carried out between January and March 2014 in the Yen Mo limestone complex, originally aimed at studying Delacour’s langur, also detected the serow (Capricornis maritimus), a species at high risk of extinction.

Notably, thermal images recorded a mother serow moving with her juvenile, providing clear evidence that the species is breeding in the forest, Nadler said.

Nguyen Thanh Phuong, a biologist involved in the fieldwork, said a 2.5-month camera-trap survey in Dong Thai Forest recorded 12 mammal species and 15 bird species, including several endangered and critically endangered animals. Repeated serow sightings at two sites confirmed drone-based findings from 2024.

Based on current legal criteria, CeREC experts said Dong Thai Forest meets the requirements to be designated a species and habitat conservation area.

Conservationists said establishing a protected area would help safeguard endangered wildlife while supporting biodiversity conservation linked with ecotourism development.

The serow is listed in Vietnam’s Red Book as a rare and endangered species found in high limestone forests across several provinces. Its population has declined sharply due to hunting, trapping and habitat loss, with some former strongholds now devoid of the animal.

Source: Dtinews

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