Maintain a "paradise" for animals

Some people say it was created by special historical fate, but many people believe that to have a Vietnamese animal paradise at Cat Tien National Park like today, it's all due to morality and personality. of the forest keepers.

Some people say it was created by special historical fate, but many people believe that to have a Vietnamese animal paradise at Cat Tien National Park like today, it's all due to morality and personality. of the forest keepers.

Only with determination and support for true transparency, on the banks of the meandering Dong Nai River, about 150 km from Ho Chi Minh City, can we maintain until today a "wilderness" that gathers like the whole world. world of African forest animals" - Cat Tien National Park (75,000 hectares wide, covering the territory of 3 provinces Dong Nai, Binh Phuoc, Lam Dong).

One night, I saw nearly a hundred deer with eyes as bright as stars

On the night of December 2023, Director of Cat Tien National Park, Mr. Pham Xuan Thinh, appointed ranger Le Duc Khanh, a guy with a large family working in the forestry industry, to hold a flashlight to lead us to "test". See how many wild animals there are." The truck has convertible seats that can carry up to thirty tourists. Everyone was absolutely silent, no one was allowed to use flashlights or phone lights to illuminate anything, to avoid scaring the animals. Only Khanh was alone, methodically moving the light over the trees and grasslands. Sometimes an owl with its crested owl rushes out into the street and flies over our heads, mysteriously beautiful. Here, a golden-black-headed oriole, as smooth as a cotton ball, is nestling his head under his own wings and sleeping soundly on the moss-covered canopy. There are a few Hainan flycatchers, with purple-blue heads and velvety feathers, nestling together as if seeking warmth in a deep sleep, under the protection of the broad leaves of the tropical forest stage. The area is still overwhelmingly green, because Nam Cat Tien has not completely ended its rainy season.

Journalist Do Doan Hoang at Cat Tien National Park

An owl's cry rang out in the old forest, sometimes keenly, sometimes vaguely, as if avoiding our search. Oh my god, something with red and purple eyes is sparkling in the distance. Crested mosquito owl, male. Its eyes "catch" the light, as if suffering from "sunstroke", curiously looking into the distance, not bothering to fly when we get quite close. His eyes were round. Khanh said, we must choose the right type of lamp, this has been recommended by wild bird conservation experts. The light is yellow enough, light enough, bright enough, how not to affect this beautiful nocturnal bird. Also be "courteous" to him, so he won't be afraid, and then the next time we go to this corner of the forest we can... meet each other.

In the past, Vietnamese people thought that owls, especially pig birds and pig owls (belonging to the owl family, have a sound similar to the sound of a pig) were always a bad omen, with death and illness. But now, especially since the extremely lovely images of owls in books and movies were imported from the West, people who love birds and explore wild nature have grown to love the beauty and wonder of it. the secret of owls. In Cat Tien, my friend Nguyen Manh Hiep captured the beautiful Oriental auntie (fish owl). Wild boar owl, ring-necked owl, crested mosquito owl...

Khanh and I approached, the most modern camera on the market, one click produced 30 high quality, "exploding" moments. The crested owl looked bewildered, then suddenly seemed to have escaped its sleep and flew away. The sound of a wild boar owl whispering in the green canopy of an ancient tree. Searchlight sneaks in. His flashlight-catching eyes were red. The "night assassin" is extremely sharp, his eyes are as big and clear as a cat's, when he catches the red light like... two mounds of fire, his ears stand up like a playful cat.

The "wilderness" gathers like the whole "world of African forest animals" in Cat Tien National Park

Outside, for an hour, we saw firelight as bright as falling stars along the grass slopes. Continuous herds of deer. Male deer in the season of luring their mates have red musk on their necks (must be very fragrant, we are far away and can't feel it). There was a wet deer just lying in the mud. The mother deer led the baby deer and chattered out, looking curiously at the light. A few muntjacs (also known as mén, mang) and a pair of lovely cheetahs slithered through the thatched grass.

Suddenly, a bison, another bull, they walked backwards in the dark night. There are countless civets. Many birds, animals, and nocturnal species appeared. But mostly it's still during the day.

Mr. Tang A Pau, a person who has spent nearly two decades photographing wild nature, is still busy writing at the age of over 70 and is especially devoted to denouncing rings of environmental destruction. Mr. Pau spent 6 months continuously in the "paradise of African animals" - Cat Tien National Park to take photos. With a pickup truck specially allowed to go into the forest, he took photos of birds, owls, peacocks, and wild animals of all kinds (gaur, elephant, bison, yellow-cheeked black gibbon, black-shanked douc, silver langur). Indochina, wild boar, deer, porcupine, roe deer...) move people's hearts. Perhaps this is the only place in Vietnam where it is not too difficult to meet large herds of gaurs and record them.

Visitors can take a boat trip to visit Cat Tien National Park

Thanks to the painful process of being passionate about Cat Tien nature, Mr. Tang A Pau was awarded the title "Knight of the Forest" by the Garden Director at that time, Mr. Pham Hong Luong. The awarding ceremony took place solemnly, and Vietnamese media reported respectfully. Photos of many artists passionate about wild nature (such as Mr. Pau, Mr. Nguyen Manh Hiep...) have been solemnly printed in large format by the Park Management Board, displayed in tourist reception halls, and posters promoting tourism. Calendars are printed in the accommodation rooms named after elephants, bears, sandalwood trees, red peacocks, green peacocks... of the garden. This is a very effective form of spreading love for nature.

If before it was a bad omen, now owls are loved by bird enthusiasts and those who love to explore wild nature because of the mysterious beauty of this bird.

The courageous battle of the knights guarding the forest

The respectful attitude of the Board of Directors, staff, and rangers of Cat Tien National Park towards the values ​​of the natural treasures they are managing has made an important contribution to honoring and spreading those things. Surely you will think that you are in a pristine "Eden garden" - something that is rare in the world and even more rare in Vietnam - especially when we are used to going to the garden. The country only sees people, restaurants, and trees, but rarely sees great wonders, and even fewer wild animals freely grazing and foraging. Let's ask, in Vietnam today, is there any place where in just one night following a flashlight to look for animals, you can meet about a hundred deer, gaur, bison, civets, birds, etc. snakes, owls…?

Another notable highlight is the birds in Cat Tien National Park, I myself have photographed wild peacocks dancing beautifully, mysterious night owls, and rare birds that international visitors eagerly come to find such as pitta. , red cash chicken. Cat Tien National Park is also a special-use forest with the most bird photography areas (sites) in Vietnam: with 6 sites! Meanwhile, in other National Parks considered crowded with tourists and fertile "green lungs" such as Bach Ma, Ba Vi, Tam Dao, Pu Mat, Con Dao, Yok Don... there are no bird sites. any!

A statistic has been stated by experts and officially published in the press: Among the more than 900 bird species recorded in Vietnam, Cat Tien National Park has more than 400 species. The estimated rate is more than 40%, nearly 50% of Vietnam's birds gathering at Cat Tien. If you walk the 5km paved road to the internationally important wetland (honored under the Ramsar convention), you will encounter countless birds and animals, splendid male peacocks dancing merrily, Owls call dreamily, birds fly colorfully. In particular, Bau Sau is home to the most wild freshwater crocodiles in Vietnam. 600 swamp killers, swimming to find food, during the day they lie with their mouths open in the sun, at night they swim in boots, shining a flashlight for a while and see thousands of bright eyes like scattered stars...

Wild boar herd in Cat Tien National Park

To keep birds and animals together, reminiscent of classic images of such "African forest animals" - still existing in the middle of the third decade of the 21st century - in Cat Tien National Park , the forest protection forces here, for many generations, have rushed forward and "fought" really courageously against the evil tricks of all kinds of loggers. More than 90km of Dong Nai River surrounds the forest area, on the other side of the river are residential clusters, boats can penetrate into the garden with just "starting the engine for a minute". Therefore, propaganda, imitation, deterrence, enlightenment, so that many people (in all 3 provinces) join hands to be proud and preserve the "Cat Tien wilderness", that is the key to our mission. problem. Everywhere in the vast forest is a "forest gate", the ranger force is too thin, the means of transportation and support tools are quite simple, the confrontation with loggers is extremely difficult.

In that context, only with true public service ethics and genuine efforts can forests and forest souls (animals) be protected as they are today. Mr. Pham Hong Luong, former Director of Cat Tien National Park, used his own personal page, the image of himself and his "traditional" family working in the field of nature conservation. to spread precious values ​​from the Cat Tien wilderness. The current Director of Cat Tien National Park, Mr. Pham Xuan Thinh, each time handles cases of using guns, pepper spray, sharp knives, and sticks to brutally attack rangers, collecting all kinds of evidence. Traps, weapons and many rare animals had just been killed. He was so shocked that he sent us photos. One time he exclaimed: It hurts, journalist!

Of course, the more fiercely they protect the forest and courageously resist acts of destroying the forest and killing rare animals, the more vulnerable the ranger will be to bad guys. At Cat Tien National Park, in 2023 alone, sometimes in 3 days of March, there were up to 2 brutal assaults on rangers. Specifically, on March 2, 2023, 9 forest ranger comrades went on patrol and discovered a group of loggers hunting and killing many wild animals such as: wild boar, deer, cheetah, civet cat.... They proceeded to handle it. The subjects aggressively used homemade guns, pepper spray, knives, and large wooden sticks to continuously and brutally attack. 3 ranger comrades were seriously injured, including the Deputy Head of the ranger station, Pham Ngoc Tuan, who suffered many bruises and bleeding on his chest, neck, mouth, and nose. Especially the serious wound on the left cheek. Brothers Chiu Van Hai and Luong Van Bao were also seriously injured. After that, 6 loggers were detained by Tan Phu District Police (Dong Nai), the case was prosecuted, and the accused was prosecuted. 3 days before that, on the evening of February 28, 2023, Mr. Vu Manh Cuong, from the Da Bong Cua Ranger Station, Cat Tien National Park, went on duty and was brutally assaulted by 5-6 young men and had to go to prison. Cho Ray Hospital (Ho Chi Minh City) for long-term treatment.

Wonderful nature, when protected and promoted for its worthy value, is not just an asset in the form of large trees containing many cubic meters of expensive wood; Not only are they large, rare animals..., they are also a beautiful and loving living space to nurture our souls and heal all our wounds. They are "visual teaching tools" and irreplaceable, helping to form personality and nurture kindness in each of us. The forest is an armor, a magical common roof that protects and envelops this world.

Living museums include many amazing trees

The museum of ancient trees in Cat Tien National Park can make anyone stunned. Here, the ancient pine trees are more than 400 years old, more than 40 meters high, and their trunks are so big that it takes 20 people to hug them. His roots spread out like prehistoric dinosaurs, crawling across several dozen meters of the jungle. On the other side, the ancient, precious and rare redwood tree has been determined by modern technology to be more than 700 years old, with a base diameter of up to 2.5 m. Since the late 1980s, comrade Pham Van Dong, then the Prime Minister of Vietnam, visited this "great wonder" red oak tree and gave valuable advice on forest protection work in the treasury. Precious nature of Cat Tien. Moved by this sentiment, officials and people here hung signs, opened directions and named the "heritage tree": "Uncle Dong's Knocking Tree".

We arrived at the Hundred-stem Sycamore Tree, through the enchanting forest paths, as if lost in a paradise of flowers and leaves. Many young people camp and hold parties on the banks of cool, clear streams. There, sycamore trees cover the stream, covering the banks, hundreds of meters long and wide. Not far away is a cycad tree that is several centuries old; The six-topped banyan tree, the elephant-shaped banyan tree, the "one in the world" banyan tree - all are majestic and have stood the test of time for the past 300 years, the Luc Giao banyan tree (in the sense of 6 ancient trees) The tree grows with its branches and leaves together) and has branches and branches interlocked with each other, forming a giant dome, making people think of the wonders and talented design ability of the Creator...

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Update day : 14/02/2024