Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
The elusive, probably extinct, kouprey (
Bos sauveli
)
After exchanging pleasantries, we piled into a waiting van, which turned out to be one of
the few cars in the city at the time. On the crowded thoroughfare to town, hordes of bicyc-
lists swerved around us at intersections. We turned off the main road and the scene instantly
changed. French colonial villas bordered wide, quiet boulevards shaded by overhanging trees.
This charming historic district had somehow survived bombardment. I briefly entertained the
image of relaxing on an elegant balcony draped with showy blue-flowered
Thunbergia
vines,
jasmine, and multicolored sprays of bougainvillea. Instead, we arrived at the Ministry of De-
fense Guest House. Our meager accommodations would never grace
Fodor's Vietnam
, but
they were close to the Ministry of Forestry, where we would be working. The guesthouse
cafeteria provided our daily rations: fried spring rolls and
pho
, the famed noodle soup of Vi-
etnam. Female soldiers served us at the guesthouse. They smiled but kept a watchful eye on
perhaps the first Americans they had seen since the war ended.
The next morning we dressed in coat and tie and set off to meet ministry officials to obtain
approval for our proposed conservation program and the necessary permit to travel outside of
Hanoi. We entered a large room crowned by a reluctant ceiling fan that, even at full throttle,
was no match for the humidity of early May. Bernard, David, Mr. Tam, another interpreter,
and I sat on one side of the long rectangular table, and the department heads sat across from
us. After three days of meetings, we finally won permission to start our work, and we were
itching to talk to local scientists and conservationists.
Our first appointment was with Professor Pham Mong Giao, who had led expeditions to
areas that were off-limits to us, where it might be possible to see the Javan rhino. A remnant
population of fewer than a dozen individuals had somehow survived the hostilities by hiding
in dense forests defended by the thick canebrakes of Cat Loc, close to Ho Chi Minh City, the
former Saigon. “I have found tracks of the Javan rhino,” he told us excitedly, “and dung piles,
