Unique and unusual: Over 15,000 animal traps were used to create a pair of wild elephants in Nghe An.
(Baonghean.vn) - More than 15,000 animal traps, dismantled and confiscated from the forest by forest rangers of Pu Mat National Park in Con Cuong district, have been reassembled to resemble a mother and baby elephant, conveying a message to everyone not to use traps to hunt wild animals and to protect wildlife.
In a corner of the campusPu Mat National ParkFrom a distance, we spotted a mother elephant and her calf strolling leisurely. Upon closer inspection, we realized these two elephants were meticulously crafted from animal traps.
According to Mr. Le Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of Pu Mat National Park: In 2023, during a field trip to Pu Mat National Park, lecturers and students from Hanoi University of Architecture requested permission to design a sculpture of a mother elephant and her calf, constructed from animal traps confiscated by the park's forest rangers.
After the design was finalized, more than 15,000 traps, dismantled and stored in a warehouse since 2018, were brought out to be used to create the pair of wild elephants.
To complete this pair of mother and baby elephants, lecturers and students from Hanoi University of Architecture, along with staff and workers of Pu Mat National Park and local forest protection households, worked diligently for more than 10 days. Approximately 3,000 leftover traps were placed inside the mother and baby elephants' stomachs. The traps used to "bind the elephants" were mainly clamp traps, wire snare traps, and spear traps.
Mr. Le Anh Tuan further shared: The act of arranging animal traps into a pair of elephants, displayed here, conveys a message to tourists and locals: do not use traps to hunt wild animals, and protect wildlife.
Pu Mat National Park covers an area of over 94,275 hectares, spanning three districts: Tuong Duong, Con Cuong, and Anh Son. The park is home to 82 species from 33 families of mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. Among these, 48 species are endangered or rare, 26 are listed in the Vietnam Red Book, and 21 are listed in the IUCN Red List.
In the park area, there is a frequent problem of individuals from all over using traps and guns to illegally hunt rare wild animals. Just since the beginning of 2024, the forest rangers of Pù Mát National Park have dismantled and destroyed over 400 animal traps of various types, along with hunting guns and other weapons used for hunting wild animals such as spears and snares.
