200kg deer among wild animals handed over to Vietnam national park

Le Anh Tuan, director of Pu Mat National Park, said on Monday the park recently took in three pig-tailed macaques, one elongated tortoise, and one 200-kilogram deer.

The animals had first been handed to the Quynh Luu and Vinh-Cua Lo forest protection units before being transferred to the park.

Nguyen Ba Quynh, a resident of Quynh Van Commune, said he had raised the deer since 2020, harvesting two to four kilograms of antlers annually, before deciding to donate the animal to the park.

“This is the first time Pu Mat National Park has received a deer from the public, though people in Nghe An regularly hand over wild animals every year,” Tuan said.

Officials assessed the animals' health as generally good.

The park will continue to care for them until they can be released back into the wild.

Covering 94,804 hectares of core area and an 86,000-hectare buffer zone, Pu Mat National Park is recognized for its biodiversity and is home to many rare and endangered species requiring conservation.