Asian black bear discovered in the wild

Ha Van Hoan, Director of the Management Board of Bac Huong Hoa Nature Reserve, Quang Tri province, said this and pledged to immediately apply measures to protect and conserve this rare animal species.

Asian black bears are wild animals in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. They are classified as IB - vulnerable species, at risk of extinction, and needing strict protection.

Asian black bear is about 1.30 - 1.90m long. Males weigh about 110 - 150 kg, while females weigh about 65 - 90kg. The individual recently discovered in Quang Tri province is likely an adult male.

Vietnam has two main bear species, the Asian black bear and the sun bear, which are both part of the Ursinae subfamily and are listed as endangered.

Compared to the sun bear, the Asian black bear is twice as large, with a distinctive white or cream "V" shape on its chest. Among the bear species, the Asian black bear is classified as a medium-sized bear, much smaller than the polar bear and the brown bear.

The Asian black bear is a close relative of the American black bear, the species with the largest population in the bear family.

The discovery of the bear on the afternoon of November 26 was thanks to the coordinated efforts of the Bac Huong Hoa Nature Reserve Management Board and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The two sides have jointly placed digital camera traps in the forest area of ​​the reserve to investigate the saola, a species at high risk of extinction in the wild; no trace has been found for nearly 20 years.

During the installation process, the camera traps recorded many rare wildlife species listed in Vietnam's Red Data Book and the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, such as red-faced spider monkeys, pangolins, striped rabbits, silver pheasant, red-shanked douc, white-naped mangabey, and many species of birds, weasels, civets, wild boars, etc.

According to the National Forestry Planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050, Bac Huong Hoa Nature Reserve is planned to become a national park. In addition, Quang Tri has another national park scheduled, Dak Rong.