LATEST MAMMAL DISCOVERY: A BLESSING AND A CURSE FOR WILDLIFE
(Vietnam News, 06/Jan/95)


The news of the discovery of a possible third new mammal species may 
prove both a blessing and a curse for central Vietnam' s wildlife 
resources.

In a story broken by the Vietnam News on Wednesday, a calf and its 
mother of an unclassified mammal species known locally as "Tuoa," 
belonging to the Bovid family, were spotted near the village of A Luoi 
by a group of five local hunters last December (1994).

The mother managed to escape, and the calf was captured for study. 
Sadly, and likely out of fear, according to a visiting expert, the 
calf died a few days later in captivity. After its death, the Tuoa was 
consumed by the locals, preventing further scientific investigation, 
such as DNA analysis, of its species. 

In a second exclusive interview yesterday with Vietnam News, Prof. Ha 
Dinh Duc of Hanoi University and David K. Wills, Vice President of 
Investigations at Humane Society international based - in Washington 
D.C., gave further details on the captured Tuoa, shedding light on 
what this find could mean to the region. 

Despite the lack of detailed study on the captured Tuoa, Prof Duc 
feels the morphology of the specimen is different enough from any 
other Bovid species known in the region to label it a major find. "It 
looks like a Bovid, but in Vietnam there are six species ... and it 
looks like none of these," noted Prof. Duc.

The reason for the species going virtually unknown may be the simple 
fact that there are very few left, according to Mr. Wills. "It could 
also be a lot of different reasons: interbreeding, a sub-species or 
family species," he continued, "but what is so interesting, according 
to Mr. Duc, is that the morphology on this one is so different, 
including the incisors and some basic changes that are very different 
from all the other Bovids."

If DNA matching proves the Tuoa a new species, it would be the third 
identitied in the last three years, an occurrence, according to Mr. 
Will, uniuque anywhere in the world in this  century.

For the local people near A Luoi, the capture does not constitute a 
major event, as evidenced by its posthumous use. Locals may have known 
of the Tuoa's existence for countless years, but, of course, did not 
see the need to notify authorities. The Van Kieu and Ca Tu ethnic 
minorities are prevalent in the area where the Tuoa is also called 
"Teeng," the equivalent of a mountain goat.

Ironically, international discovery of the animal could mean its 
downfall. It stands to reason that if the Tuoa has remained a local 
secret this long there it is not likely too many more will be found.

David Wills feels Vietnam must make a choice. "You can bet some zoo 
will be in here," he stated, and feels that it would be a regrettable 
mistake for the zoological community to quickly make a deal to get the 
animals out.

The discovery of Sao La in the Vu Quang nature reserve in 1992, 
resulted in the loss of three of its younger members which perished 
soon after their capture. It did not accomplish much else.

"Obviously these animals are doing better in the wild so any time you 
can keep them there you are doing better," said Wills, "If any 
observation research is to be done, it should be done in Vietnam in 
consultation with Vietnamese biologists and those in charge of this 
property."

The only known pictures of the animal were taken by Prof. Vo Van Phu, 
a former student of Prof. Duc's, who now works at Hue University.

(Keith Schulz, for Vietnam News)