Vu Quang
Encyclopedia
Vu Quang is a remote forested region of Vietnam
, in which several new species of deer
and antelope
have been discovered since the 1990s. Some are so new that scientific description is still pending, although most have local names.
Vu Quang, in the Hà Tĩnh Province of Vietnam's north central coast
, is an area of steep mountains and dense rainforest
. It is a very wet, hot area, whose mountains trap moisture coming in from the South China Sea
. This creates a very stable, but inhospitable climate. It rains continually in the rainy season, and in the dry season there is much fog; consequently most surfaces are algae-coated and slippery. The local hunters prefer to stay out of the forest, setting snares and using dogs to chase animals into more accessible areas.
As of 2003 the district had a population of 32,242. The district covers an area of 646 km². The district capital lies at Vu Quang.
, the anti-colonial revolutionary, from 1885-96.
The area was declared a forest reserve in 1986 and a National Park
in 2002. The National Park has an area of 212 square miles (550 Square kilometers).
In addition, Vu Quang is home to five new species of fish:
In addition to these animals, there are some tantalising glimpses of more:
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, in which several new species of deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
and antelope
Antelope
Antelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...
have been discovered since the 1990s. Some are so new that scientific description is still pending, although most have local names.
Vu Quang, in the Hà Tĩnh Province of Vietnam's north central coast
Bac Trung Bo
Bắc Trung Bộ is one of the regions of Vietnam. It consists of six provinces: Thanh Hóa, Nghệ An, Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị, Thừa Thiên-Huế...
, is an area of steep mountains and dense rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
. It is a very wet, hot area, whose mountains trap moisture coming in from the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
. This creates a very stable, but inhospitable climate. It rains continually in the rainy season, and in the dry season there is much fog; consequently most surfaces are algae-coated and slippery. The local hunters prefer to stay out of the forest, setting snares and using dogs to chase animals into more accessible areas.
As of 2003 the district had a population of 32,242. The district covers an area of 646 km². The district capital lies at Vu Quang.
History
Vu Quang was used as a base by Phan Dinh PhungPhan Dinh Phung
Phan Đình Phùng was a Vietnamese revolutionary who led rebel armies against French colonial forces in Vietnam. He was the most prominent of the Confucian court scholars involved in anti-French military campaigns in the 19th century and was cited after his death by 20th-century nationalists as a...
, the anti-colonial revolutionary, from 1885-96.
The area was declared a forest reserve in 1986 and a National Park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
in 2002. The National Park has an area of 212 square miles (550 Square kilometers).
List of new animals
New animals from Vu Quang and surrounding areas:- SaolaSaolaThe Saola, Vu Quang ox or Asian unicorn, also, infrequently, Vu Quang bovid , one of the world's rarest mammals, is a forest-dwelling bovine found only in the Annamite Range of Vietnam and Laos...
or Vu Quang ox (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) - Quang khemQuang khemThe Quang khem or Chinh's deer is an animal resembling a deer, found in the Pu Mat region of Vietnam, close to Vu Quang. It first came to scientific attention through the work of biologist Nguyen Ngoc Chinh....
("slow deer") - Giant MuntjacGiant muntjacThe Giant Muntjac sometimes referred to as the Large-Antlered Muntjac is a species of muntjac deer. It is the largest muntjac species and was discovered in 1994 in Vu Quang, Ha Tinh province of Vietnam and in central Laos...
(Megamuntiacus vuquangensis) - the world's largest muntjacMuntjacMuntjac, also known as Barking Deer and Mastreani Deer, are small deer of the genus Muntiacus. Muntjac are the oldest known deer, appearing 15–35 million years ago, with remains found in Miocene deposits in France, Germany and Poland....
. - Mangden ("black deer")
- Linh Duong ("holy goat") (Pseudonovibos spiralis) - this or a similar species has been seen in CambodiaCambodiaCambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, where its name is kting voarKting VoarThe Kting Voar, also known as the Khting Vor, Linh Dương, or Snake-eating Cow is a bovid mammal reputed to exist in Cambodia and Vietnam.- Characteristics :...
In addition, Vu Quang is home to five new species of fish:
- Parazacco vuquangensis
- Crosscheilus vuha
- Pararhoedus philanthropus
- Pararhoedus equalitus
- Oreoglanis libertus
In addition to these animals, there are some tantalising glimpses of more:
- a large, cream-coloured slow lorisSlow lorisSlow lorises are a group of five species of strepsirrhine primates which make up the genus Nycticebus. Found in South and Southeast Asia, they range from Northeast India in the west to the Philippines in the east, and from the Yunnan province in China in the north to the island of Java in the south...
seen in HanoiHanoiHanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
Zoo by Doug Richardson, assistant curator of mammals at London Zoo in 1994; - a black muntjac seen in LaosLaosLaos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
by Dr George Schaller of New York's wildlife Conservation society in 1994; - the skull and some meat from the Vietnamese warty pig Sus bucculensis was given to Dr Schaller on the same visit. The species was first described in 1892 but no physical evidence for it was ever secured.