An extensive two-month survey of the wildlife in a key Southeast Asian nature reserve, conducted using camera traps, has revealed that the area is teeming with rare species.
An article in Saigon News reported that trail cameras were installed in the Ea So Nature Reserve and Krong Nang Watershed Protection Forest in Dak Lak Province, in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The results were stunning. Nearly 800 vascular plant species were documented, along with over 100 bird species, dozens of reptile species, and some of the rarest mammals on the planet.
One of the highlights is the appearance of the silver-backed chevrotain. Otherwise known as the Vietnamese mouse-deer, it’s even more adorable than it sounds. According to a profile in National Geographic, these rabbit-sized critters are so rare that “almost nothing is known about them.” The silver-backed chevrotain gets its name from the silver sheen of its rump. Thought to have gone extinct, they were rediscovered after a 30-year absence in Vietnam in 2019.
Another rare treat was the much larger gaur, a bovine species found in fragmented pockets ranging from India to Malaysia. They are known to inhabit Dak Lak, but the status of the Vietnamese gaur is very poorly understood. Their numbers have fallen dramatically because of habitat destruction and poaching, per Thai National Parks.
The cameras also captured images of the Vietnam pheasant, which Aviary described as the world’s most endangered pheasant species, that had not been seen in central Vietnam for 25 years.
The thrilling discoveries underscore the immense value that trail cameras bring to conservation efforts. Unlike a field worker sweating under the trees, a properly installed camera incurs minimal costs and captures everything, all without disturbing the wildlife. Some of the world’s most elusive species have been captured on trail cameras. The critical insights gained help fill knowledge gaps and inform local efforts to protect vital habitats.
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