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(VietNamNet Bridge)-The absurdity that wild bulls live together with people in the afforestation yard would not have happened, if competent agencies had thoroughly considered pluses and minuses in the economic development and the wildlife conservation.

Nguyen Van Cao, Head of the forest ranger unit in Dong Phu district of Binh Phuoc province said that his unit once discovered the herd of bulls prior to 1990 and then reported this to the relevant agencies. In 2003, a group of officers and international experts came to the site to make a survey, but no reply has been made so far.

Cao said that the natural habitat for the bulls now covers an area of less than 4000 hectares, which can be divided into sub-zones.

The habitat would have been intervened brutally by people, if there had been a thorough survey on the possible environmental impacts to be created by the project on turning the bull-living area into the production forest area.

“The consultancy firms then were only interested in the economic value of the project, especially the wood reserves, while they did not take care about rare precious wildlife,” Cao said.

Meanwhile, the report on the possible environmental impacts submitted by an investor, who asked for the permission to explore minerals on Xuong Rong hill, affirmed that there was no wildlife left, while there were only bred animals.

However, the report dated in January 2011 by Ngo Van Tri, an animal researcher, showed quite different information. Tri reported that he could see the herd of 11 bulls, while affirming that there were other species of wild animals in the area as well.

Bui Quang Viet, Director of the Binh Phuoc Department for Natural Resources and the Environment said that in principle, protecting the environment is always the top priority, and that the forests would be preserved if they are still good.

However, Viet admitted that the reports on possible impacts on the environment usually said the forests got exhausted, based on the criteria set up by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The rhino story must not be repeated with bulls

A forest ranger said that the warning by the experts from the tropical biological institute then forced the local authorities to stop granting new investment licenses. However, only after the Prime Minister released the Instruction No. 1685 in September 2011, had the allocated forest land been taken back.

Nguyen Van Khanh, Chief Secretariat of the Binh Phuoc provincial People’s Committee, said the land has been taken back to allocate to people to manage and develop the forests. The local authorities now do not allow converting the forest land into production land, including the rubber plantation.

“We have to wait for the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s review and conclusion on the issue before we take the next steps,” he said.

Khanh also affirmed that the provincial people’s committee has also instructed to define the areas where bulls are living and put the areas under strict protection.

However, the Binh Phuoc Rubber Company, which has been asked to draw up the plan on protecting the bulls, has not made any progress in fulfilling its duty.

While waiting for the protection from humans, according to Cao, the bulls in the Tan Lap afforestation yard are facing too many risks. They may be killed by illegal hunters, or may eat the grass with pesticide.

Three bulls were shot dead in 1990, one was killed in 2001 and another one was killed in 2009. Meanwhile, in 2011, people found a dead bull body with no head and horn.