The animals of Nam Ha National Park in Northern Laos
Discover the animals of Nam Ha National Park in Northern Laos. By working together we can save them before they are gone forever!
The animals of Nam Ha National Park in Laos are listed below. Here you will will discover some of the specific species residing in the park. Camera traps were set up in 2013 by CERS. Just scroll down to see some of the images kindly provided and find out more about the animals.
Most of the Nam Ha NPA is covered by mixed deciduous forest. It has a range of mountains running to the border with China. Along the top of these is mainly dry evergreen forest and some grassland. Three large rivers, Nam Tha, Nam Fa, and Nam Long, drain southward to the Mekong fed by a dense network of tributary streams.
Most of the areas are between 1000 and 1500 metres high according to the park’s website. Tizard, et. al. (1997) identified the Southern Highlands zone, the Nam Kuaylong river valley and the spine of the Northern Highlands to contain relatively undisturbed evergreen forest and grasslands.
The Nam Ha National Park is one of the most bio diverse places on our planet. It is unlikely that you will see many animals there because they are shy of humans. It is a place to enjoy a trek in the knowledge that a clouded leopard has its home in the same place.
A few of the animals of the Nam Ha National Park are listed below. Also included is their status according to the IUCN Red List:
- Dhole (Endangered)
- Yellow-headed Elongated Tortoise (Endangered)
- Asian elephant (Endangered)
- Williamson’s mouse deer (Data Deficient)
- Big headed turtle (Endangered)
- Stump tailed macaque (Vulnerable)
- Impressed Tortoise (Vulnerable)
- Sun bear (Vulnerable)
- Moon bear (Vulnerable)
- Clouded leopard (Vulnerable)
- Asiatic black bear (Vulnerable)
- Northern pig tailed macaque (Vulnerable)
- Sun bear (Vulnerable)
- Gaur (Vulnerable)
- King cobra (Vulnerable)
- Southern serow (Vulnerable)
- Burmese python (Vulnerable)
- Asiatic golden cat (Near threatened)
- Black giant squirrel (Near threatened)
- Leopard cat (Least concern)
- Red cheeked squirrel (Least concern)
- Assamese Macaque (Near Threatened)
- Common palm civet (Least Concern)
- Bamboo rat (Least Concern)
- East asian porcupine (Least Concern)
- Red muntjac (Least Concern)
- Crab eating mongoose (Least Concern)
The species listed above are decreasing in numbers, even the Least Concern categories are in decline. The animals of Nam Ha National Park have been hunted for centuries by the many ethnic groups that live in the surrounding villages. They are also used for medicine. Please help us protect the animals.
Don’t buy wildlife products and refuse to eat bush meat.
It should be noted that neither tigers nor pangolins have been seen on the camera trap images. This could be proof that these species are now very rare indeed, perhaps due to illegal trade.
The park is home to many endangered species. Over 22 endangered species have been observed there in the past, but it is difficult to know if all of them are still present, because some of them haven’t been seen on camera traps.
The Nam Ha National Park has a high human population density compared to other national parks (1). There are 41 villages inside and on the border of the NPA. The high number of people makes the wildlife even more fragile.
The map below shows where all the villages are located:
Luckily, the species are very wary of people so are unlikely to be spotted by visitors. Also The Nam Ha NPA’s main purpose is to protect habitat and biodiversity for the unique and amazing wildlife of northern Laos. The park is actively putting in place a patrol unit in a bid to try and prevent hunting.
The villagers that live in the park have their own names for animals of Nam Ha National Park. Ethnic names differ between villages and ethnic groups. They don’t have names for specific species just the type of animal as a whole like a bat, chevrotain or bird.(1)
In terms of mammals, there are reported to be 22 different mammal species.
Asian Elephants
It is great to see via camera traps that Asian elephants live in the Nam Ha National Park. Asian elephants are rarer than African elephants. Did you know that Laos is called Land of One Million Elephants?
Laos used to be called “Lane Xang”, which can be translated as “The Land of a Million Elephants”. It was named as “Lan Xang” by the King Fa Ngum in 1354. The reason is that the capital of the Kingdom was Luang Prabang and it was surrounded by large grazing pastures with wild herds of elephants living there at the time. Sadly there are no longer one million elephants left, only a few hundred.
Our planet has lost 60% of its wildlife over the last 50 years and this threatens the survival of civilisation itself.
Asian elephants are crepuscular mammals which means they are most active at twilight. They are both grazers and browsers. This means they graze and browse (feed on vegetation higher up). They drink once a day and are never far from a permanent supply of water.
Asiatic Golden Cat
In terms of cats there are a number. The Asiatic golden cat, the clouded leopard, leopard, marbled cat and the leopard cat reside in the jungle. These beautiful wild animals are nonetheless threatened because of the market for fur, particularly in Japan. Leopard cats have been taken for the pet market.
The Asiatic golden cat is a medium-sized cat. It has a burnt orange coloured coat and a spotted neck. It has been classed as Near threatened by the IUCN.
There are some beautiful images of it on the IUCN website.
Another name for it is Temminck’s cat after the Dutch man who discovered it. Asian golden cats are territorial and solitary.
The cats climb trees and feed on birds, rodents, reptiles and muntjac and sambar deer. The latter two species can both be found in the park. Any reduction in muntjac and sambar deer would disrupt the food chain and affect the diet of the Asian golden cat.
Leopard Cat
The Leopard cat is a small cat. It is a solitary species but has been observed in pairs or with dependent young. It is mainly described as nocturnal and crepuscular. However, the cats can also be active during the day with males showing more diurnal activity than females. They use forests and understory for resting and breeding, and hunting is done both on the ground and in trees.
Dhole
The dhole is a kind of wild dog living in the park. It is categorised as Endangered according to the IUCN Red List. With its convex skull, it looks like a cross between a fox and a dog. The dhole is a highly social animal, living in clans. This means that they hunt together. Clans rarely exceed 3 individuals.
The dholes’ dens are often located under dense scrub or on the banks of dry rivers or creeks. The entrance to a dhole den can be almost vertical, with a sharp turn three to four feet down. The tunnel opens into an antechamber, from which extends more than one passage. Some dens may have up to six entrances leading up to 100 feet (30 m) of interconnecting tunnels. These “cities” may be developed over many generations of dholes, and are shared by the clan females when raising young together.
Dholes eat wild boar (found in the park) and deer (also found in the park).
Red Muntjac
The red muntjac is a small type of deer. It is generally a nocturnal species. Its typical diet includes young leaves, shoots, tree bark, grass and fallen fruits. Small ground-dwelling vertebrates may also be consumed.
Sambar Deer
The sambar deer is a large deer native to the Indian subcontinent, South China and Southeast Asia. Their height is between 102 and 160cm and can weigh up to 546kg. They are nocturnal or crepuscular.
The males live alone for much of the year, and the females live in small herds of up to 16 individuals.
Sambar feed on a wide variety of vegetation, including grasses, foliage, browse, fruit, and water plants, depending on the local habitat. They also like shrubs and trees.
When the male wants to attract a female he stomps the ground, creating a bare patch, and often wallows in the mud, perhaps to accentuate the colour of his hair, which is typically darker than that of females.
Crab-eating Mongoose
The crab-eating mongoose is native to China, Southeast Asia, Taiwan and India. Crab-eating mongooses are usually active in the mornings and evenings, and were observed in groups of up to four individuals. They are supposed to be good swimmers, and hunt along the banks of streams and close to water. They eat other things besides crabs. They also like fish, snails, frogs, rodents, birds, reptiles, and insects.
Northern Pig Tailed Macaque
There are two types of macaques in the Nam Ha National Park. The Assam macaque and the Northern pig tailed macaque. The latter has a tail which is 23cm long. It is often curled upwards like a pig’s tail, hence the name. It has a patch of dark fur on the head — something it shares with its close relative, the Southern Pig-tailed Macaque. To tell the two species apart, simply look at the eyes. The Northern pig-tailed macaque seems to have put mascara on at the corners of its eyes.
Akha Frog
It is estimated that there are 22 species of reptile in Nam Ha National Park (1). One species of frog in Nam Ha National Park is the Amolops akhaorum. It is from the Ranidae family. It was discovered in 2007. The specific name akhaorum refers to the local Akha people who helped with the research team who discovered the species (image via this link).
Another frog species is the Hoplobatrachus rugulosus. It could be mistaken for a toad because it can be up to 12cm long! That’s a very big frog!
On treks in the jungle you will see cobwebs on the ground and in the trees.
Long-Horned Orb-Weaver Spider
A very interesting spider that looks like a beetle is the Long-horned Orb-weaver Spider. The females make webs that are three or four feet wide in forested areas. These webs have hollow hubs and white silk beads on the radial threads.
There are also 300 hundred birds species in the park. Many of these can be found nowhere else in the world. They are native to the park.
Some examples are the birds in the park are:
- Crested finchbill
- White-bellied redstart
- White-necked laughing thrush
- Great barbet
- Thick billed green pigeon
- Black-crested bulbul
- Silver pheasant
- Spangled drango
- Rufus-throated partridge
- Red junglefowl
- Grey peacock pheasant
- Crested serpent eagle
- Coral billed schimata babber
Grey Peacock Pheasant
A most spectacular bird is the grey peacock pheasant. It gives a stunning display of its plumage. The sexes are rather similar, but the female is smaller, darker and less ornamented than the male. Their diet consists mainly of seeds, termites, fruits and invertebrates. The female usually lays two eggs. The grey peacock-pheasant is evaluated as a Species of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on CITES Appendix II, restricting trade in wild-caught birds to preserve its stocks.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this article as much as I enjoyed researching and writing it.
This article (adapted) was researched for The Hiker, a trekking agency in Luang Namtha.
Sources:
Camera trap photos provided by CERS
Emma Stevens is a marketing consultant with an interest in conservation (Emma(at)camstartuphelp.co.uk).
