Six hog deer stepped back into the forest at Cat Tien

Tuoi Tre reported on November 6, 2026, that six hog deer were released into Cat Tien National Park in southern Vietnam. Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens moved them overnight from Ho Chi Minh City, a drive of about 150 kilometers, working with the park. The first group was four females and two males. Each animal had a health check, a sedative for the trip, and an electronic chip so staff can recognize it afterward. The crates were lined with straw, and bottles of cold water were added to keep the deer cooler. The release was done at night, when light and noise are lower.

Nguyen Thanh Nhut, deputy director of the zoo, told the paper that hog deer are no longer recorded in the wild in Vietnam, and that scientists place the zoo's animals with the Indochinese population of the species. Cat Tien was judged to have suitable forest. Vietnam's 2023 Red Book lists the hog deer as critically endangered, and the species is in the country's priority protection group. Under the agreement, the zoo handles care and breeding, and the park handles the forest and the watching.

This release is the first step of a plan to return 30 deer, 22 females and eight males. Nhut said the first group's ability to adapt will decide how later releases go. The news is these six chipped animals going into the park. It is not a count of a recovered wild population.