The man who 'herds' the langurs in Hungary

Quang Binh Province: Since 2012, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tu has been protecting the rare langur population in the Hung Su mountain forest area.

In Thach Hoa commune (Tuyen Hoa district, Quang Binh province), everyone knows Mr. Tu because he is well-known for his efforts in protecting the precious langur population, ensuring its continued growth.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tu is over 60 years old but still very healthy. He recounted that in early 2012, he found some rosewood trees and brought them to the Hung Su forest to plant. While taking a break, he noticed several animals swinging across the limestone cliffs. He realized they were a rare troop of langurs that had been missing for more than two decades due to hunting.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tu, who has voluntarily protected and cared for the rare langur population for over 12 years. Photo: T. Phung.

Mr. Tú recounted his encounter with the langurs to the elders in the village and, after reading more in the newspaper, learned that these primates, known as the Hà Tĩnh langurs, have a black crest of fur on their heads and tails longer than their bodies, and are very rare in Vietnam.

For a whole month afterward, every two or three days, Mr. Tú would go into the forest, climbing the limestone cliffs to find out where this precious primate troop lived. On sunny days, he would cook rice and bring it up to the crevices in the rocks so the langurs would have food.

“It wasn’t until almost a year later that the langurs became accustomed to my presence, moving from hiding and observing from a distance to perching on tree branches not far from me as if to get acquainted,” Mr. Tú recalled.

Then Mr. Tu planned to protect the langurs himself. Hearing that the precious primates had returned, many hunters came to hunt them. There were many clashes between Mr. Tu and the hunting groups. Despite being threatened, Mr. Tu resolutely prevented strangers from entering the forest to hunt.

"There were times when they tried to cause trouble because they were outnumbered. I threatened to report them to the authorities, the police, and the forest rangers so they would be arrested if they entered the forest. That scared them and they turned back," Mr. Tú recounted.

Seeing Mr. Tu protecting the precious langurs, many villagers voluntarily followed suit and formed a protection team led by Mr. Tu. The team takes turns guarding the forest, preventing strangers from entering, and occasionally bringing food up to the rocky outcrop for the langurs.

A troop of langurs on Hung Su mountain. Photo: T. Phung.

The team members are all locals, including some who were once notorious hunters in the area. The protection team maintains regular contact with forest rangers, local police, and villagers to carry out tasks such as removing hunting traps and providing water for the langurs. They also educate and encourage people not to hunt rare wild animals, raising awareness and working together to protect these endangered species.

"We do this out of a sense of responsibility, not for any special treatment or benefits. Yet everyone feels happy and proud of the work they do," Mr. Tú confided.

Upon confirming that the langurs had returned to the Hung Su area, Mr. Tu informed the Quang Binh Forest Protection Department to develop a protection plan. The protection is currently being entrusted to the local communities of Thach Hoa and Dong Hoa communes.

The appearance of the white-necked langur troop and the activities of the langur protection team in Thach Hoa commune have received attention from authorities at all levels, from the province to the local level, and from non- governmental organizations. Over the three years from 2018 to 2021, Quang Binh province planned over 1,200 hectares of special-use forest to create a protective environment for the langur troop and other rare wild animals.

International experts came to observe the langur troop. Photo: T. Phùng.

The langur population is strictly protected, allowing it to grow to hundreds of individuals. Since 2023, the International Agroforestry Research Organization (ICRAF) has funded the project "Co-management of biodiversity and improvement of livelihoods for people in the white-necked langur conservation planning area in Tuyen Hoa district". Accordingly, the project is being implemented in four communes: Thach Hoa, Dong Hoa, Son Hoa, and Thuan Hoa (Tuyen Hoa district), with funding exceeding US$296,000 and will run until the end of the first quarter of 2025.

According to Mr. Tu, the biggest success was in 2023, when a comprehensive production and business cooperative was established to implement the project and voluntarily conserve the white-necked black langurs of Thach Hoa commune. “The attention of all levels of government and organizations and individuals has given us more motivation to pursue the work of protecting rare wild animals. Every day, we continue to voluntarily protect and keep the langur population safe and thriving,” Mr. Tu affirmed to us.

Source: https://nongnghiep.vn/nguoi-chan-dan-vooc-o-hung-su-d744265.html