Many kinds of illegal animal traps in Bac Huong Hoa nature reserve (Huong Hoa district, Quang Tri province) threaten wild animals. Therefore, the forest protection force must regularly organize long-term patrols in areas with high biodiversity and primeval forests to find and destroy animal traps.
Officials of Bac Huong Hoa Nature Reserve remove animal traps. Photo: Hung Tho.
Bac Huong Hoa Nature Reserve covers an area of nearly 23,500 hectares in 5 communes of Huong Hoa district (Quang Tri province). In reserve, there are many areas with high biodiversity and low-impact primary forests, with many types of wild animals living, so there is a situation where people set traps to hunt.
Mr. Ha Van Hoan – Director of Bac Huong Hoa Nature Reserve, said the type of traps often placed in the reserve is a noose made of homemade cables or brake lines for motorbikes, bicycles, and metal clip traps. These traps target terrestrial animals such as weasels, civets, and ungulates.
“The traps can trap small rodents like mice to large ungulates like wild boar and chamois. Therefore, we have to organize patrols and look for traps to destroy regularly,” said Mr. Hoan.
Animal traps discovered. Photo: Hung Tho.
Sub-zone 642 in Huong Son commune (Huong Hoa district) has many kinds of animals, so it is watched by many “objects.” Therefore, patrolling and guarding in this sub-zone takes place regularly.
Most recently, on April 4, Mr. Tran Van Hung – Head of the Tria Forest Protection and Management Station, and three members of the forest protection team in Tria village (Huong Son commune) organized a patrol at sub-zones 642 and 638S in Cam Lo River headwaters. The patrol is expected to take place in 3 days, so four members must prepare enough food, personal items and navigation equipment, and patrol data management machine…
In order to be able to wade through the forest areas suspected of having animal traps, or deforestation, the patrol team must set up shacks right in the forest and follow predetermined locations. As a result of the 3-day patrol, in addition to recording information related to biodiversity and checking for signs of deforestation, in Lot 1, Lot 5, sub-zone 642, this group discovered and destroyed. 25 animal traps.
It is known that the number of animal traps in the reserve to be removed is decreasing year by year. From the beginning of 2023 until now, Bac Huong Hoa Nature Reserve has removed 85 ropes to trap wild animals in sub-zones 652A, 642, and 623.
In order to protect wildlife, in addition to patrolling and dismantling animal traps, the reserve also strengthens propaganda to mobilize people through conferences, seminars, village meetings, and mobile propaganda.
