VietNamNet Bridge - The researchers of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for Nature in Vietnam discovered an Annamite striped rabbit, a rare species, during a survey in the mountain range of Truong Son.

Sarah Woodfin, a student from East Anglia University, UK, said that she joined the WWF in Vietnam to conduct a three-month survey in the forest to search for and study the habitat of the striped rabbit.

During the first night in the forest, the group accidentally discovered a striped rabbit searching for food along a stream. A member of the group tried to catch the animal and took it to the camp for research and took photographs before releasing it back to the wild.

"I was really surprised. I immediately realized that this was a striped rabbit with its special features," Sarah said.

The Annamite striped rabbit (Nesolagus timminsi) is a species of rabbit native to the Truong Son mountain range on the Laos-Vietnam border. The rabbit is striped, with a red rump, and resembles the Sumatran Striped Rabbit. It only recently became known to Western scientists, being first described in 1999 by Dr Diana Bell of the University of East Anglia.

Previously, pictures of striped rabbits were only recorded through motion sensing cameras placed in the woods.

The survey team hopes to discover new information about this species and their habitat in order to contribute to the conservation of this rare species.

Le Ha