Would you like to see one of the world’s rarest rabbits or a mystical mammal that looks like a goat with an identity crisis? How about two sun bears scrapping or a baby pangolin hitching a ride on their mum’s tail?
Look no further. A hidden network of camera traps, stashed in the Annamites mountain range, has recorded all of this and more. As part of a survey led by the international conservation charity Fauna & Flora, the images reveal the vast array of biodiversity clinging on in this unique and endangered ecosystem.
The Annamites are a heavily forested mountain range spanning 1,100 kilometres through Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Known as the ‘Amazon of Asia’, it is one of the continent’s most precious wildlife havens, but it is under threat from poaching, deforestation and other human activities.
To study the wildlife that still remains, conservationists set up more than 300 camera traps in three locations, in the north, south and centre of the Annamites. Informed by the locals who know the land best, they turned their lenses towards animal trails, water sources and salt licks, in habitats spanning a range of elevations, tree cover and human interference.
The cameras did not disappoint. In one image, an Annamite striped rabbit is caught on the hop. Unknown to science until 1996, when a handful of dead ones were spotted in Laos market, few photos of this herbivore exist. Those that do show a short-eared, short-tailed rabbit with brown stripes and a rust-coloured rump.
In another, a serow can be seen trotting through a clearing. With the beard and horns of a goat, and the body and mane of an antelope, this medium-sized, mystical mammal it is known as the ‘phantom of the forest’ because it is so elusive.
Dozens of species were caught on camera, including Sunda pangolins, sun bears, Asian elephants, clouded leopards, Asian leopard cats, great hornbills and red junglefowl (the ancestor of domestic chickens).
A stump-tailed macaque can be seen sitting on a fallen tree with a youngster. A grey peacock-pheasant fans his tail feathers to a seemingly disinterested female.
“The Annamites mountain range is alive with a host of incredible creatures, each playing a critical role in maintaining the forest ecosystems that are vital to the health of our planet,” says Gareth Goldthorpe from Fauna & Flora, who played a key role in the survey.
“The camera-trap data allows us to discover some of the Annamites’ rarest species, while also understanding more about their behaviour, preferred topography and their interactions with human settlements.”
For example, from their data they were able to tell that species richness is linked to elevation, tree cover and the distance from human activity. Put simply, biodiversity tends to be greater higher up, where there are more trees and less people.
Now these photos and videos can be enjoyed, and the findings can be used to inform conservation. “The overarching message,” say the report’s authors, “is that while these protected areas remain strongholds for biodiversity, they are under significant pressure from anthropogenic factors. Current boundaries may not be sufficient to buffer wildlife from human disturbance.”
More "incredible creatures" caught on camera
Top image: A serow, or 'phantom of the forest'. Credit: Flora & Fauna
More amazing wildlife stories from around the world
- Remote cameras in Yellowstone capture cougars and wolves on the hunt
- This “stealthy finger of death” instantly freezes and kills anything in its path
- A huge ancient predator is lurking in Japan’s rivers – and it’s eating frogs and crabs
- It's the length of a bus, weighs the same as a tank and can leap 12 metres into the air
