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Ut Vinh, a senior wood dealer who has traveled all mangrove forests in the Mekong Delta said: "Now monkeys have returned to the mangrove forests in Ca Mau. When I was a child, I just listened to stories of my grannies about monkeys, but now I can see with my own eyes the forest monkeys. I used to lock 40-50 monkeys."
All know that monkeys are very wise, so even the best hunters can seize up to several monkeys once. It is unbelievably that a man can catch up to 40-50 monkeys at the same time. But Ut Vinh said he even caught dozens of monkeys for several times.
“If you do not believe in my story, you can go to Tam Giang to ask rangers there. They asked me to release the monkeys several times,” he added.
“Did you release them?” one asked Ut Vinh. “Yes, of course. I do not want to go to jail. My grandfather did not dare to catch them, let me alone."
Vinh has a very big boat to transport firewood from Ca Mau to the Mekong Delta. After each trip to Hau Giang province, Vinh returned to Ca Mau with a lot of bananas to feed the wild monkeys. Vinh has become a friend of the monkeys. Whenever his boat arrived at the edge of the conservation area, the monkeys ran out to welcome him. Therefore, it is very easy for Ut Vinh to lock the monkeys on his boat.
”Why did not you take them all to the market for sale? You will earn a lot of money," one asked. "Oh no. If I do so, I will be in jail. I only kept the monkeys on my boat for a few hours, the rangers called me to force me releasing them," Ut Vinh said.
"How did you know?" Vinh said: "The monkeys usually return home to eat in the afternoon. If they do not see their return, the rangers immediately know that I have captured them."
Ut Vinh said local people now join hands with the authorities to protect and care for the wild monkeys.
Monkeys have returned
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Mr. Le Hoang Vu, Director of Ngoc Hien Forestry Company, said: "In recent years, a lot of wild monkeys have appeared in the mangrove forests of Tam Giang, Kien Vang, Dat Mui.... We do not know where they come from. They appear with the recovery of mangrove forests."
Mr. Hoang Van Suy, Deputy Director of the Dat Mui National Park, said it is very difficult to understand the appearance of monkeys in the park. He said: "In the 1990s, the forest was destroyed for shrimp farming. At that time, this forest did not have a single monkey. But five years ago, when the forest was recovered, monkeys have appeared. We do not know where they came from!"
In the U Minh mangrove forest, in the U Minh Ha National Park, there are several thousands of monkeys. Mr. Nguyen Tan Truyen, from the Conservation Technical Department of the U Minh Ha National Park, said excitedly: "In the last 10 years, the monkeys in U Minh Ha have recovered very quickly. We do not have official statistics but it is estimated to have at least several thousands of monkeys."
We went to the Tam Giang III forest, where Ut Vinh said there is a big heard of monkeys. Actually, we saw the monkeys at the edge of the forest to search of food. They are very numerous and bold. Strangers are able to access to them at a distance of 3m.
Mr. Trieu, the ferryman who took us into the forest, boasted: "If you have food for them, they even approach you to take the food."
Mr. Phan Van Duc and his wife are probably the ones who have witnessed the growth of the monkeys there because they live near the edge of the forest. Duc said: "Five years ago, when I settled down here, I did not know about the monkeys, so I planted cassava. When the cassavas were as big as thumbs, the monkeys pulled them out to eat. They were crowded!"
Duc’s wife added: "There are two herds of monkeys. They divide the area very well and they do not violate the area of each other. Sometimes they fight for the right to search food in the general line.”
She said local people often take vegetables to the forest to feed the monkeys. "Farmers here really like the monkeys. The rangers protect them very seriously. Monkeys are safe!" she said.
Compiled by Nguyet Huong
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