Banteng Conservation and Breeding Project
Khao Nam Phu Nature and Wildlife Education Center, Tha Kradan Subdistrict, Si Sawat District, Kanchanaburi Province
Suthirat Yoovidhya Foundation in collaboration with Khao Nam Phu Nature and Wildlife Study Center, Tha Kradan Subdistrict, Si Sawat District, Kanchanaburi Province (Starting in 2019).
Project Goals
“Promote the expansion and reproduction of Banteng populations from the Huai Kha Khaeng forest region to the Salak Phra forest region ” to prevent blood problems (breeding in the same bloodline) that will lead to extinction in the future by conducting research, conservation, and breeding of Banteng, as well as conducting participatory activities with network partners by working with communities, institutions, education, government, and private sectors along the expansion area’s boundary under the name “Volunteer Group Conserving Banteng.”
Importance of the Project
“Banteng ” is an animal listed in the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act, B.E. 2535. Therefore, Banteng conservation connects communities, forests, and wildlife, “because when Banteng survive, so do communities residing around the forest floor and the forest as a whole in a sustainable manner.” The Banteng Conservation and Breeding Project fosters community engagement to increase community members’ awareness and comprehension of the significance of conserving natural resources.
Almost half a century ago, the extinction of Banteng in the Salak Phra forest region marked the beginning of Banteng conservation and breeding. The inception of the Banteng “Chao Pong Thong” occurred in 1974, subsequent to the identification of a female Banteng in the midst of the Salak Phra forest. This event is significant in that it generates momentum for the return of Banteng conservation to Salak Phra Forest and demonstrates that the concept of Banteng conservation can effectively educate residents of communities bordering the Salak Phra Forest.
Banteng Conservation and Breeding Project
Khao Nam Phu Nature and Wildlife Education Center, Tha Kradan Subdistrict, Si Sawat District, Kanchanaburi Province
เปิดทางให้วัวแดงก้าวเดิน
โครงการอนุรักษ์และขยายพันธุ์วัวแดง
โครงการ Goal Together
และโครงการ U Volunteer
หากพูดถึงสัตว์ป่าใกล้สูญพันธุ์คงมีน้อยคนที่จะนึกถึงวัวแดงสัตว์ป่าขนาดใหญ่ที่มีรูปร่างปราดเปรียวสง่างาม ขนสีน้ำตาลแดงเงาสลวย และมีจุดเด่นที่เขาโค้งสวยล่อตาล่อใจ ว่ากันว่าในอดีตพื้นที่่ป่าสลักพระและผืนป่าในจังหวัดกาญจนบุรีมีวัวแดงอยู่เยอะมาก ชนิดที่เดินพบเห็นได้ทั่วไป แต่เมื่อมีผู้ล่ามากขึ้นอาณาเขตของเมืองขยายตัวไปถึงแหล่งที่อยู่อาศัยและแหล่งอาหารของวัวแดง ประชากรวัวแดงจึงลดลงอย่างน่าใจหาย
ปัจจุบันมีวัวแดงสายพันธุ์ แท้เหลืออยู่ บนโลกไม่ถึง 500 ตัว วัวแดงจึงถูกจัดเป็นสัตว์ที่มีความเสี่ยงต่อการสูญพันธุ์อย่างยิ่ง และยังจัดเป็นสัตว์ใกล้สูญพันธุ์ในบัญชีแดงไอยูซี เอ็น (IUCN Red List) ของสหภาพนานาชาติเพื่อการอนุรักษ์ธรรมชาติและทรัพยากรธรรมชาติ (International Union for Conservation of Nature: IUCN)ขณะที่ในทางกฎหมายของประเทศไทย วัวแดงถูกจัดอยู่ในบัญชีสัตว์ป่าคุ้มครอง ประเภทสัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยนมลำดับที่่ 180 ตามพระราชบัญญัติสงวนและคุ้มครองสัตว์ป่า พ.ศ. 2562
Project Implementation
The driving force of the project was impacted by the COVID-19 epidemic situation in 2021; however, certain activities were still feasible, including the provision of financial support in the amount of 1,500,000 baht for the conservation and breeding project for Banteng. The following activities were executed in accordance with the financial support:
1.1 Conduct research to prevent blood clots (breeding in the same lineage of Banteng) as part of the Banteng embryo production project in the laboratory, with the assistance of Kasetsart University (Kamphaeng Saen Campus) for research studies while monitoring performance results closely. โดย In 2021, semen samples from deceased male Banteng were obtained, preserved in a scientific laboratory, and combined with domestic cows in an effort to determine the semen’s potency and provide a foundation for future investigations. To proceed to the subsequent phase of laboratory research, semen and tissues of Banteng that are preparing to be returned to nature for the fifth time are anticipated to be collected in 2022.
1.2 Installed Camera Trap cameras to study the behavior of Banteng in the Salak Phra forest area. Twenty Camera Trap cameras were endorsed in 2021, bringing the total number of Camera Trap cameras installed from 2020 to 2021 to thirty. By 2023, 150 Camera Trap cameras are scheduled to be deployed to cover conservation area regions. Additionally, information from the camera trap and GPS unit revealed that more than eighteen naturally born Banteng calves were discovered when thirteen Banteng were released four times for a total of thirteen Banteng. More than 31 red cows inhabit the Salak Phra forest region in total. Images from the Camera Trap also reveal the Banteng’s foraging behavior, food sources, and strength. In addition, we observed the behavior of other wild animals, such as deer, tigers, and so on, which is an indicator of nature’s abundance, and the data was used to conduct additional research on eating behavior and nutrition that affect the health of Banteng.
1.3 Improve two Banteng pens to make them more durable and less susceptible to destruction by wild elephants. (1) a pen for adjusting the behavior of Banteng before releasing them back into nature (for the fifth Banteng release in 2022). This is a pen with a sash around it to help the Banteng adjust during the moving process. The Banteng must be stored in an opaque box. As a result, this pen must simulate the moving box’s condition as closely as possible, as well as install a camera to study the behavior of the Banteng, and ( 2) the local pens are making preparations to reintroduce the Banteng into the wild. We have constructed a pen in order to acclimatize the Banteng to the forest environment and its inhabitants’ behavior prior to their actual release. In 2022 , the Khao Nam Phu Nature and Wildlife Education Center plans to release three Banteng into the wild for the fifth time: two male Banteng (Pongrat and Wansuk) and one pregnant female (Namfon)
1.4 In an effort to better understand how food nutrition affects Banteng health and behavior, the Khao Nampu Nature and Wildlife Study Center, in partnership with the Faculty of Animal Science at Kasetsart University (Kamphaeng Saen Campus) and the Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies at Mahidol University, collected the droppings of Banteng from the Salak Phra forest area and brought them to the Kasetsart University Science Laboratory (Kamphaeng Saen) for analysis. This information will help develop a plan to increase the amount of food sources that are sufficient and appropriately nutrient-wise.
The Khao Nam Phu Nature and Wildlife Education Center has discovered information about Banten’s eating habits and health through laboratory research. The Khao Nam Phu Nature and Wildlife Study Center has used the information to develop activities under the Banteng Conservation and Breeding Project, such as planting wild mangoes and creating artificial salt licks, to create a food source that contains both nutrients and minerals that are beneficial to the health of wild animals. In 2022 , there will be ongoing project work to analyze, collect data, and develop activities that will benefit Banteng conservation and breeding while also creating abundance in the Salak Phra Forest Ecosystem.
Click : “ Knowledge about the “Banteng Conservation and Breeding Project”
Project Implementation
In collaboration with Kasetsart University (Kamphaeng Saen Campus), we are conducting research on improving the Banteng breed to prevent close blood problems (breeding in the same bloodline), as well as community work. Currently, Banteng has been released four times, yielding thirteen calves. A survey discovered that more than 18 calves were born naturally (data from GPS and Camera Trap cameras). In 2021, three more Banteng will be released for the fifth time.
Motivate community members to learn about the conservation and breeding of Banteng while working diligently (2019-2020) through the “Returning Banteng to the Forest to Teach the Value of Balance” activity, the “Planting Elephant Food, Creating Food for Wildlife” activity, and the “Making Pens to Prepare for the Third Banteng Release into the Forest in 2019” activity.
The “Returning Banteng to the Forest to Teach the Value of Balance” initiative has utilized a pen constructed in the first year of operation to prepare for the fourth time in December 2020 when Banteng are released into the forest. The “ Planting Elephant Food, Creating Food for Wildlife ” activity of the second year has resulted in the establishment of 2,500 wild mango trees and the propagation of 10,000 wild mango trees in the Salak Phra forest region. The activities were attended by over 200 Goal Together volunteers, communities (commonly referred to as volunteer masses), and government officials in both years.
Q: Since the general public is interested in contributing to the conservation of Banteng, what is the process of collaborating?A: Every job cannot be completed by a single person. There must be a team of people who share the conservationist ideology and spirit. If we form beliefs and take steps to make them clear and concrete, the masses will follow. The goal of this mass mobilization is to achieve tangible success. “Do, Spread the Word, Reinforce Success.” Do it continuously, raising awareness with each activity that takes place. Working with community participation does not imply enlisting people to do public relations work and then graduating. That type of work is not development or conservation work.
Q: How do you intend to further the conservation of Banteng in the future?
A: The main direction and goal is to continue breeding Banteng. If you lack the knowledge, you must seek assistance, such as working in academia with professors from Kasetsart University (Kamphaeng Saen Campus) on Banteng research. At the same time, we are advancing the work of the masses while also promoting the conservation of Banteng. We are attempting to connect the walking route of Banteng from Salak Phra Forest to Huai Kha Khaeng Forest to solve the blood loss problem (breeding in the same bloodline). We would like to thank the Suthirat Yoovidhya Foundation for coming to support and be a cog in the work, allowing the project to begin to take shape, expand in front of the public’s eyes, and help to increase the number of Banteng in the future.
