Many species of mammals, either extinct in the wild or teetering close to it, have been successfully restored to parts of their range: the scimitar-horned oryx in northern Africa, black-footed ferrets in the United States, and Arabian oryx in Oman, to name but a few. These species would have been doomed without one thing: captive, or ex situ, populations in well-managed zoos. A new study from Vietnam indicates the country’s diverse but increasingly imperiled host of mammals could benefit from such assurance collections alongside concerted efforts to strengthen protection of their habitats. “The conservation goal today is not only to avoid extinction but also to focus on species recovery,” the study says. The team of researchers from Germany, Japan and Vietnam found 20% of Vietnam’s 329 species of mammal are threatened with extinction at a global level, and more than one-third at a national level. The findings broadly reflect the bleak global outlook for mammals; the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority, estimates 27% of mammal species worldwide face extinction. Endemic bats of Vietnam: The Ha Long leaf-nosed bat (left) and the Da Lat tube-nosed bat (right). Images courtesy of Son Truong Nguyen. Localized mammal diversity Vietnam is home to an impressive diversity of mammals, including the highest number of primate species in mainland Southeast Asia: 28 species in total, including endemic Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus avunculus) and Delacour’s langurs (Trachypithecus delacouri). Camera-trapping surveys in the country’s network of national parks also frequently turn up an array of species, from…This article was originally published on Mongabay
