Hanoi  - Police will prosecute the poachers who killed two rare langurs in central Vietnam last month, officials said Tuesday.

On January 21, forest wardens stopped a man transporting animal carcasses out of the forested Hon Heo Peninsula in central Khanh Hoa province. Mixed in among several goat carcasses were those of two rare black-shanked Douc langurs.

"This is the first time we have made arrests like this in our area, thanks to confidential sources," said Le Thanh Hoa, head of the district's Forest Warden Unit. Hoa said the two langurs weighed 10.5 and 4.5 kilograms.

The species is included on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and hunting it is forbidden in Vietnam. The case was turned over to district police for investigation.

Local media Tuesday quoted district chief Lt Col Dang Van Manh as saying his department had identified the poachers involved and would prosecute them shortly. The men could face up to seven years in prison under Vietnam's criminal code.

Media reports said illegal hunting was common on the Hon Heo Penisula. The region is home to a group of more than 100 black-shanked Douc langurs.

Germany's Frankfurt Zoological Society maintains a research site in the district. Local media quoted Tilo Nadler, head of the its Primate Conservation project in Vietnam, as saying the langurs were threatened by illegal logging and charcoal-making in their habitat, in addition to hunting.

Provincial authorities have banned logging in the area and are attempting to catch poachers.

"It is very difficult for us to protect this area, because our forces are spread too thin," Hoa said.

Hoa said high prices for rare animal meat at restaurants contributed to the problem.

There are several other communities of black-shanked Douc langurs in Vietnam, but each is estimated to contain just 50 to 60 animals. The largest populations of the rare primate are found in Cambodia and Laos. (dpa)