Le Van Hien uses camera to track the langurs in Kim Bang Forest. — Photo courtesy of Uong Si Hung/FFI

Once a hunter, he has laid down his rifle and become an active wildlife protector in Kim Bang District in the northern province of Ha Nam.

In 1994, he accompanied expert Le Van Dung to investigate the Delacour’s langur population in Kim Bang forest. During the journey, they saw a group of langurs cling to their mother while the adult male taught them how to look for food.

Sixty-year-old Hien still remembers what they talked about on that day.

“Langurs have the same love as humans. If one member of the family dies, the others will grieve and stop eating. If the mother langur dies, its baby will also die,” Dung told him.

Dung also said the Delacour’s langur was on the verge of extinction in the world and advised him to give up hunting.

Returning home, Hien thought about the issue seriously. He told his wife about his intention and got her support even though the road ahead without hunting was daunting.

Born in a poor family, Hien and his peers had long made a living by using the forest.

Hien used to follow his parents to pick up bamboo shoots and cut down trees for coal.

“I started following a local hunter when I was 13 years old,” Hien recalled.

Years later, he saved up to buy a gun and became a professional hunter.

Hunting was the most lucrative job compared to other manual work at that time, he said.

Selling a chamois would fetch hunters 500 kilos of rice while a monkey or langur would bring about 10 tonnes.

“There are days that I shot and trapped three chamois, weighing between 50 and 70kg each,” Hien said. 

Challenges

After putting down his gun, Hien started working at stone quarries with a monthly salary of VND4-5 million (US$130-173)

He was hit by rocks three times while drilling but was determined not to go back to hunting.

In 2017, Fauna and Flora International (FFI) in collaboration with the Ha Nam Department of Agriculture and Rural Development launched a project to preserve the Delacour's langur.

Upon hearing of the project, Hien registered to join and was appointed as head of a community conservation team.

“It’s the way I pay back the forest. In the past, I was a poacher but now I am a forest guardian,” he said when asked about the reason behind his decision.

Le Dac Phuc, the project co-ordinator, said Hien has worked as a guide for experts from FFI in their research on the Delacour’s langur since 2016.

“As he was once a hunter, Hien has deep knowledge of fauna and flora in Kim Bang forest. The information he provides is helpful to our researchers,” Phuc said.

Hien said his daily job is to take photos of langurs to track their living conditions, remove traps laid by hunters, and notify rangers about wildlife law violations.

"If you don't have a passion for the job, you can't do it," he said.

Some team members quit the job after one or two months because they couldn't bear the hardship, he said.

They often had to stay up late at night and get up early in the morning, Hien said, adding that each trip into the forest lasts for several days.

The low allowance for a member - VND3 million ($130) a month - was also a problem.

However, their efforts have paid off. Kim Bang forest is now home to more than 100 individuals of Delacour’s langur, ranking it second in the world, behind only Van Long Natural Reserve in Ninh Binh Province.

"Hien is very enthusiastic and responsible in his work. He has made a great contribution to the conservation of the langur in Ha Nam.

"Under his leadership, the hunting activities and catching of animals in the forest have decreased substantially,” Phuc said.

Le Van Hien (centre) receives a Disney Conservation Hero granted by the Disney Conservation Fund for his "dedication to conservation wildlife" in January this year. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyen Chinh

In January this year, Hien was named as a Disney Conservation Hero by the Disney Conservation Fund for his dedication to the conservation of wildlife and inspiring action to ensure wildlife and wild places around the world.

He was the second to receive the title in Vietnam after forest ranger Hoang Van Tue was selected as Disney Conservation Hero 2017 by the Fund.

"Receiving the title of hero is an encouragement for me. Whether I received it or not, I would still guard the forest, remove animal traps, count and observe the Delacour’s langurs.

"I consider the forest as my second home, the Delacour’s langurs are my friends.

"At this age, I just want to see the green forest and hear the birds singing when opening my eyes every morning. That is my happiest moment!" he said.

Hien said he hoped that not only in Ha Nam but also in other localities, people would help protect forests and wild animals, especially those that are endangered.

"I will work as long as my health is strong enough," he said adding that his biggest wish is for a conservation area for the Delacour’s langurs to be established in Ha Nam.

Hien's dream will be realised soon because preparation for such a conservation area is underway by the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ha Nam Forest Protection Sub-department and FFI.

The Delacour’s langur is a primate indigenous to Vietnam and is among the 25 most endangered species in the world.

Currently, the Delacour’s langur is found mainly in Van Long Natural Reserve in Ninh Binh Province, Kim Bang forest in Ha Nam Province and Lac Thuy forest in Hoa Binh Province. 

According to Phuc, the preservation of the Delacour’s langur has great significance to the region and the country. It contributes to conservation efforts of biodiversity under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) of which Vietnam is a member.

The establishment of a conservation area for Delacour’s langur would also help improve the natural environment, reducing the negative impacts of climate change and facilitate the development of ecotourism and sustainable agriculture.  

VNS

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