The researchers from the Carnivore and Pangolin Conservation Programme in Cuc Phuong National Park said that the two rare species of hairy-nosed otters were discovered in U Minh Ha National Park in Tran Van Thoi district of southernmost Ca Mau province.

Hairy-nosed otters were thought to be extinct in the 1990s. However, they have since been rediscovered in Cambodia, Thailand and Indonesia. The most recent record of the species in Vietnam was from 2000 in U Minh Thuong National Park.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the preservation of hairy-nosed otters is of significance to the world’s conservation programme. The species is also listed as in danger of extinction in Vietnam’s 2007 Red Book.