Around four to seven gaurs have been captured on wildlife viewing cameras at Phuoc Binh National Park in Ninh Thuan Province, south-central Vietnam since October 2023, Nguyen Ngoc Minh, deputy director in charge of the park, said on Wednesday.

According to Minh, experimental investigations at Gia Nhong and Da Den streams revealed footprints, excrement marks, resting areas, and tree scratches of gaurs. 

At both locations, the presence of four to seven adult gaurs, scientifically identified as Bos gaurus, was estimated based on track evidence.

The animal is listed as endangered (EN) in the Vietnam Red Book and vulnerable (VU) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. 

Phuoc Binh National Park managers also discovered numerous yellow-cheeked gibbons and black-shanked doucs.

“Experts employed line and point investigation methods, along with photo traps, to monitor gaurs' and other animals’ activities for at least two months,” Minh said. 

“The data will provide a solid scientific foundation for implementing biodiversity conservation management tasks in the future.”

Phuoc Binh National Park spans approximately 25,000 hectares and plays a crucial role in biodiversity conservation in Ninh Thuan Province. 

It serves as a transition zone between the alpine evergreen forest ecosystem of the Langbiang plateau and the lowland ecosystem of southern Vietnam.

Minh recounted that between 2009 and 2015, a male gaur frequently appeared in the buffer zone of Phuoc Binh National Park, often mingling with local farmers’ herds.

Standing at 1.7 meters tall, with a body length exceeding two meters and weighing approximately one metric ton, the gaur eventually bred with domestic cows over the course of six years, resulting in a herd of about 20 hybrid calves.

These hybrid calves grow faster than their domestic counterparts and exhibit distinct physical characteristics, such as a lack of shoulder girdles and umbilical bibs, a slightly smaller head with a broad and concave forehead, a V-shaped face, and early-developing sharp horns. 

As they age, their fur color gradually darkens to a uniform dark brown.

In 2015, the male gaur passed away due to old age. 

Specimens, including the skin, horns, and skeleton, are now displayed at the Center for Environmental Education and Forest Environmental Services of Ninh Thuan Province.

Since 2013, a project aimed at raising hybrid gaurs at Phuoc Binh National Park, with a total investment of nearly VND2 billion (US$80,080), has been underway in the provinces of Ninh Thuan and Lam Dong.

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