On October 20, Mr. Tran Thanh Duoc - Head of the An Giang Provincial Forest Protection Department - said: regarding the verification of information about white monkeys appearing in Hon Son, Kien Hai special zone, the results of the camera trap, on-site verification determined that the dog was of the people raised on the island, not a rare white monkey. The authorities recovered the 3 camera traps that had been placed in the Forest Protection Department to continue performing other professional tasks of the unit.
Based on the verified results, continue to direct the Forest Protection Department of Region III to coordinate with local authorities and the An Giang - Region I Forest Management Board to strengthen propaganda and disseminate accurate information to people, agencies and organizations in the Hon Son area, Kien Hai special zone to know and understand the nature of the incident. Avoid spreading or sharing false images or information that affect the management and protection of wildlife species and the image of the local forestry sector.
Previously, social networks spread a short video clip recording the image of 4 white- furred animals appearing in Hon Son, many people thought it was a white monkey. Implementing the direction of the Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the Forest Protection Department has urgently deployed inspection and verification measures to serve the management, protection and conservation of endangered, precious and rare wildlife species in the province.
On October 14, 2025, the Forest Protection Department issued a Plan on coordinating the placement of camera trapping devices to check and verify the above content.
The Forest Protection Department coordinated with local authorities, forest owners and relevant agencies to install camera traps at suspected locations and information of people on Ong Rong peak. At the same time, they used the method of spreading high-altitude starch in the suspected area to collect traces of animal feet, serve comparison, and identify species.
Through tracking camera traps from October 14 to October 17, 2025 and the results of field inspections, it was determined that the subjects suspected of being "white monkeys" were actually dogs living on Hon Son Island.
From October 18, 2025, the Forest Protection Department will continue to monitor 3 camera traps at locations located at Ong Rong peak to monitor, collect images and data for management, conservation and supplementary reporting when there are new developments. From October 18 to October 19, camera traps continued to record images of individuals identified as dogs with white fur.
Based on camera traps and images recorded from October 14 to October 19, 2025, the Forest Protection Department confirmed that the subjects suspected of being "white monkeys" are all dogs of people living on Hon Son Island.
