Herd of rare banteng spotted in Huai Kha Khaeng
Rangers and a professional photographer exploring the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary were in for a treat on May 11 when they spotted and quickly photographed more than 60 banteng cows and bulls, which are listed as endangered species.
The huge 1,737,587-rai (278,000 hectares) sanctuary spans two western provinces – Uthai Thani and Tak – and shares forest borders with several other provinces.
“Rangers and Athit Nima, a professional photographer, have been patrolling the Pong Chang Pheuk area, which links the Nakhon Sawan forest to Huai Kha Khaeng in Uthai Thani province, in a bid to record wildlife in their natural habitat for educational purposes,” said Thani Nuyim, director of the region 12 wildlife sanctuary office, on Wednesday.
“They spotted two groups of banteng eating grass, the big one had around 45 cattle and the small one about 15,” he said.
“They also spotted several other animals during their trip, including wild boar, barking deer, deer and peacocks. Seeing these rare animals in the forest is proof that our natural resources are still abundant,” Thani beamed.
Banteng (Bos javanicus), known to locals as “Wua Daeng” (red bulls), are an endangered species under the Wild Animal Conservation and Protection Act and are only found in a few locations in Southeast Asia.
Meanwhile, Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation director-general Thanya Netithammakul added: “The department would like to thank the locals of Udon Thani and Nakhon Sawan for their efforts to conserve the forest and for refrain from harming wild animals, despite the banteng emerging at times from the forest to eat farmers’ crops.”
