Observing mammals in the Phou Khao Khouay National Protected Area is not easy but, as usual, it requires some knowledge and a little bit of luck.

Because of its large size and its different ecosystems, the Phou Khao Khouay NPA offers large mammals habitats and favorable conditions for reproduction. Wild elephants, tigers, wild cats, bears, monkeys, civets, Sambar and Muntjak deer, slow Loris, Mouse deer, badgers, porcupines, Pangolins, otters and martens are all living in the protected area although they are rather difficult to find and witness! Wildlife observations are often reduced to finding traces on trees or and tracks on the ground.

Some useful advice for those who have the determination it needs to sight some large or small mammals in the wild:

• Ask the local guides to bring you to a salt lick spot and check the area there for fresh footprints.
• At night, stay at about 30 meters away from the salt-lick spot; hide yourself behind a pile of branches and leaves and wait silently for the animals to come.
• If you are interested in observing monkeys, check out wild mango and fig trees for leftovers of fruits. Monkeys usually eat early in the morning (between 5 and 8 am), then they move to another shady place, where they feel safe before returning to the eating ground from around 5.30pm until 7 pm. Later, they return to their over-night spots. This also counts for squirrels, which have about the same habits as monkeys.
• Concerning elephants and tigers, you will be extremely lucky to even see footprints as observing a tiger in its territory will require you to stay-up many nights, with mosquitoes as your only companions. We also warn you to be among the privileged ones to come face to face with a herd of wild elephants. These huge animals that seem to be so calm and quiet can reveal themselves as killers when they feel threatened. Keep your distance at a minimum of 200 m when you happen to be the intruder of their territory.
• One mammal that can be observed in the Phou Khao Khouay NPA quite easily is the Slow Loris, which, as the name suggests, is very slow in moving from one branch to another. During night time, with the help of a torchlight, you can see its eyes shining at a height of 2 to 3 m in the trees or shrubs.

Asiatic Black Bear	Chinese Pangolin
Dusky Langur	Common slow Lori
Pig tailed Macaque	Rhesus Macaque
White-cheeked Gibbon	Lesser Mouse Deer

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