The phone rings continuously. “Hello! This is the Son Tra Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Team speaking”. The other end of the phone raised a female voice very urgently: “A baby monkey is injured very badly at the Vong Canh Hills. Please help him”.

Ms Nguyen An Binh (left) takes an injured monkey to the veterinary hospital for treatment

Just waiting for that, 48-year-old Nguyen An Binh hailing from Hai Chau District’s Thach Thang Ward, along with 36-year-old Cao Thi Kim Tuyet living in Cam Le District’s Hoa An Ward, rushed to the scene to rescue the injured animal.

Ms Binh is the first person in Da Nang to have fallen in love with wildlife rescue activities.

Binh started taking stunning photos of red-shanked douc langurs 3 years ago, and her sentimental attachment to this rare species of animal has strengthened day after day. She is very impressed by the colourfulness of this rare primate species which sports maroon-red ‘stockings’ from its knees to its ankles, and appears to wear white forearm length ‘gloves’. She, especially, feels pity for injured monkeys and cannot keep her eyes off them.

Her love for this type of wild animals has inspired her to do something for such poor wild animals.

Initially, she posted recommendations and complaints about Da Nang people and tourists feeding monkeys on the Son Tra Peninsula, and the illegal capturing of monkeys on the Facebook page ‘Da Nang Urban Management: Comfort - Green - Clean -Beautiful’.

Impressed with Ms Binh’s simple yet meaningful actions, since 2019, Ms Tuyet has joined efforts with Ms An to establish a wildlife rescue team. Since then, the team, with two main members namely Ms. Binh and Ms. Tuyet, has saved many injured wild animals and released them back to the wild.

A caged monkey is trained by Ms Cao Thi Kim Tuyet about how to hunt for food after being released back to the wild

Mr Tran Thang, Head of the Son Tra-Ngu Hanh Son Forest Ranger Division, highly lauded the enthusiastic support of organisations and individuals, including the rescue team of Ms Binh and Ms Tuyet, in wildlife conservation activities.

For many months, Ms Tuyet has been active in raising public awareness of the negative consequences of wildlife feeding, and encouraging local residents and tourists not to feed monkeys to avoid changing their living habits.

Ms Tuyet highlighted the importance of building a temporary pre-release site for wild animals in a bid to help captive animals regain their natural instincts to allow their return to the wild.

By ANH DUONG – Translated by M.D