Interviews with village elders and hunters indicated that population sizes and distribution in the past could have been between 100 to 200 animals. The present population sizes are most likely due to past and present hunting pressure and loss of habitat. It is relatively safe to assume that the populations at Ta Ke and Nam Trang-Ban Bung are two different populations. Much of Ta Ke and Nam Trang-Ban Bung was partially logged and subjected to various forms of land clearance. Although logging operations stopped more than a decade ago, log poaching continues.
Villagers regularly collect bamboo for making houses and household utensils.
The major form of habitat destruction is caused by both permanent and shifting cultivation by various ethnic minorities, viz. Tay, Man, Hmong and Meo. In Na Hang, they are consumed locally or made into a medicinal stock as a cure for fatigue. This included frequent, but random visits to villages and settlements in and around the forested areas, mainly to show their presence. The effectiveness of this patrolling system is yet to be seen, but we strongly feel that regular presence of FPU Rangers will reduce hunting in the long term.