A wild animal named Mafia raised in the forest in Ninh Binh has hepatitis B.

Rescue rare ape from drug lord

Having the opportunity to visit Cuc Phuong National Park (Ninh Binh), Dan Viet reporter heard the staff there talk about the rescue of rare wild animals.

Clip: A wild animal named Mafia in Cuc Phuong National Park has hepatitis B

Among them, a white-cheeked gibbon was rescued in 2018, but this individual will never have the chance to return to the wild due to hepatitis B.

Mr. Pham Phu Cuong, an officer of Cuc Phuong National Park, informed: "The white-cheeked gibbon was rescued from the hands of the biggest drug lord in Lang Son province in 2018. This boss has a hobby of raising wild animals as pets, including this gibbon."

A white-cheeked gibbon was rescued from a drug lord in Lang Son province. Photo: Vu Thuong

"After being rescued, this white-cheeked gibbon was named Mafia by the program staff to remind them of the rescue. At the same time, it also sent a message to everyone to stay away from social evils as well as illegal wildlife captivity," said Mr. Cuong.

According to Mr. Cuong, when the program staff arrived at the scene, the Mafia was discovered on the 9th floor of the building. What is special is that the drug lord of Lang Son province had dedicated an entire floor of the building just to make a private space for this white-cheeked black gibbon.

Cuc Phuong National Park is home to many wild animals. Photo: Vu Thuong

Mafia is estimated to have been born around 2012. When he first joined the program, Cuc Phuong National Park staff were very worried about whether Mafia was addicted to drugs. Therefore, special attention was paid to monitoring the behavior of this individual. Fortunately, Mafia recovered well and showed no signs of drug addiction.

Why the Mafia has no chance to return to nature

Mr. Cuong explained that our highest goal at Cuc Phuong National Park is always to hope that after a period of care, individuals will be released back into the wild.

But, scientific principles in wildlife conservation do not allow us to release any diseased individual like Mafia back into the wild.

The rare black-cheeked gibbon named Mafia has hepatitis B. Photo: Vu Thuong

This principle is promoted to minimize the spread of disease to wild animals from the released individuals. Therefore, Mafia will never have the opportunity to return to nature because of hepatitis B.

Currently, Mafia is being cared for, monitored and given regular health checks by veterinarians at Cuc Phuong National Park. Mafia is fed 4 times a day (3 main meals and 1 snack), with staple foods such as: fruits, tubers and a few vegetables, leaves...

Volunteers and staff of Cuc Phuong National Park prepare vegetables and grass for wild animals to eat. Photo: Vu Thuong

The Mafia individual in Cuc Phuong National Park is not an isolated case. There are many other individuals that are permanently not released and must live in captivity for various reasons.

However, apes are just like humans, the basis of their "social structure" is couples or individual families. Based on that characteristic, the park staff "paired" Mafia with Ina - an individual who was in the same situation as Mafia, when being too close to humans and accidentally losing her natural instincts.

Mr. Cuong (Cuc Phuong National Park staff) informs reporters about wild animals. Photo: Vu Thuong

"Through the story of this couple's "unwanted home", we want to convey to everyone a deeper awareness of the role of the natural environment in the life of each individual wild animal. Absolutely do not keep primates as pets, you have contributed with us and the whole society in the effort to respect and protect wild animals," said Mr. Cuong.

It is known that in 2018, the authorities arrested the drug lord Trieu Ky Voong and discovered dozens of heroin cakes along with many ammunitions, vehicles... At Mr. Voong's family (in Phu Loc 4 area, Hoang Van Thu ward, Lang Son city), they also rescued and handed over a white-cheeked gibbon to Cuc Phuong National Park for care. This is an endangered, rare wild animal, prohibited from illegal trading and captivity.

Source: https://danviet.vn/mot-con-dong-vat-hoang-da-co-ten-mafia-duoc-nuoi-trong-khu-rung-o-ninh-binh-bi-mac-benh-viem-gan-b-20240623212854049.htm