Rare Asiatic Wild Dog Spotted in Vietnam

The management board of Pù Hoạt Nature Reserve in Nghệ An province, Vietnam, recently detected an Asiatic wild dog using camera traps. Staff deployed hundreds of traps to study and monitor wildlife populations within the reserve, formerly part of Quế Phong district. The cameras captured images of the dog—Cuon alpinus, also known as the dhole—a rare and highly valued species.

Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Germany identified the animal, and their findings appeared in a journal from Cambridge University. Vietnam’s Red Book lists the dhole as Critically Endangered, facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild. The species prefers old-growth forests and has a limited distribution range.

Populations have declined sharply due to habitat loss, degradation, and past overhunting. Though previously documented in several other Vietnamese regions, this marks the first confirmed photographic evidence of the dhole’s presence within Pù Hoạt. Reserve director Nguyễn Văn Sinh states this provides crucial scientific proof for conservation efforts.