Vietnamazing: together for Vietnam’s wildlife

The critically endangered Vietnam pheasant is one of the flagship species of the Vietnamazing campaign. Photo: Václav Šilha, Prague Zoo

The conservation campaign of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) for 2024–2025 seeks to raise awareness of the threats facing Vietnam’s unique wildlife and to help protect it. The name Vietnamazing combines the words Vietnam and amazing, reflecting the country’s incredible biodiversity. Vietnam is rich in animal and plant species, many of which are endemic, yet its fauna is heavily affected by poaching and habitat destruction. The Vietnam War had a devastating impact on the country’s ecosystems, and its effects are still evident today. Moreover, the nation’s recent economic boom has not benefited its threatened species.

Campaign Goals

• Highlight the uniqueness of the biodiversity hotspot Vietnam
• Live the One Plan Approach by linking in situ and ex situ conservation efforts
• Build bridges between the EAZA community and Vietnamese as well as international conservation and research partners
• Fulfil the objectives of pre-selected flagship projects
• Provide financial and technical support and create long-term partnerships to drive the conservation efforts for selected highly threatened species and their habitats
• Strengthen the ex situ conservation efforts for highly threatened species at EAZA institutions and beyond

Flagship Species

• Northern white-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys)
• Vietnam pheasant (Lophura edwardsi)
• Vietnamese crocodile lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus vietnamensis)
• Vietnamese crocodile newt (Tylototriton spp.)
• Vietnamese pond turtle (Mauremys annamensis)
• Hillstream loach (Sewellia lineolata)
• Nui Chua stick insect (Nuichua rabaeyae)
• Vietnamese giant magnolia snail (Bertia cambojiensis)
• Mossy frogs (Theloderma spp.)

At Prague Zoo, visitors can see two of the campaign’s flagship species. The first is the critically endangered Vietnam pheasant (Lophura edwardsi), which the zoo has been keeping since 1949 and successfully breeds it on a regular basis. By June 2024, a total of 187 chicks had hatched at Prague Zoo. Since 2012, the zoo has managed the European studbook for the species and subsequently took on the coordination of its EEP (EAZA Ex Situ Programme).

Endemic to Vietnam, the Vietnam pheasant has not been observed in the wild since 2000, and no evidence of its presence has been found despite extensive surveys. Consequently, in 2024 it was reclassified from the IUCN Red List category Critically Endangered to a new category Critically Endangered—Possibly Extinct in the Wild. Fortunately, thanks to cooperation among zoos and breeders, particularly those associated with the World Pheasant Association (WPA), the species has been saved from extinction. Its ex situ population now exceeds 1,000 individuals, and preparations for the species’ reintroduction to its native range are under way.

In 2024, exactly one hundred years had passed since the first Vietnam pheasants were brought to Europe by Jean Delacour, who imported them to the Clères Zoo in France in June 1924. Prague Zoo supports the in situ Vietnam Pheasant Recovery Project, which aims to establish a breeding centre for the species. As part of the project, the first block of breeding aviaries and an education centre have already been built, where awareness-raising programmes for local communities will take place. The ultimate goal is to establish a breeding population whose offspring can later be released into the wild. At the same time, potential reintroduction sites are being identified and monitored using camera traps, and a genetic screening of the captive European population is under way to ensure a stock free from hybrid individuals. Funds raised through the Vietnamazing campaign will also support these initiatives.

A special issue of Gazella, Prague Zoo’s journal containing original research papers, was dedicated to Vietnam pheasants and can be downloaded free of charge.

By June 2024, a total of 187 Vietnam pheasant chicks had hatched at Prague Zoo. Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

The second flagship species kept at Prague Zoo is the critically endangered Vietnamese pond turtle (Mauremys annamensis), one of the world’s most threatened turtles. For more than sixty years, it was thought to be extinct in the wild, until a single individual was recently rediscovered, raising hopes that a small population may still survive. The species’ continued existence now depends entirely on breeding under human care. Prague Zoo has kept the species since 2004 and has bred it successfully every year since 2005, with a total of 61 hatchlings by 2024. Field research in Vietnam is currently under way to locate and restore suitable habitats for future reintroduction, which will be preceded by a genetic screening of the captive population. These projects will also benefit from funds raised through the Vietnamazing campaign.

What Can We Do?

A traveller’s paradise: Vietnam is one of the most popular destinations in Southeast Asia. Visitors should travel responsibly, avoid disturbing wildlife, and refrain from buying illegal wildlife products.

Made in Vietnam: The country is among the world’s largest producers of textiles, sports footwear, and electronics, particularly for European markets. Manufacturing often causes serious environmental and social issues. Choose durable, high-quality products instead of cheap disposable goods.

The animal trade: Many animals sold as “exotic pets” are taken illegally from the wild. The illegal wildlife trade destroys natural habitats and can lead to species extinction. Always make sure it is legal to keep the species you intend to own and that its origin is fully documented.

Based on a text by Veronika Zahradníčková for the Prague Zoo’s magazine Trojský koník