Hot News
News Archive
June 2008
14 bear paws confiscated
Bac Giang rangers confiscated wine jars containing 14 bear paws, three king cobras, pangolins, monitor lizards, and birds from a home after a local resident contacted the ENV Wildlife Crime Hotline.
Dien Bien Wildlife Trade Survey
Members of the ENV Mobile Awareness Team joined volunteers in Dien Bien City, conducting inspections of a total of 30 business establishments. Of the establishments surveyed, violations were documented in 14 establishments ranging from selling of wildlife wines and advertising wildlife dishes on the menu to keeping live bears and monitor lizards.
Restaurants raided following ENV monitoring
Quang Ngai authorities raided three restaurants and confiscated monitor lizards, turtles, and 70 kg of snakes shortly after ENV monitors inspected the sites.
More bear cubs confiscated in the north
Environmental Police in northern Son La province confiscated two bear cubs from a man on a motorbike reportedly headed for Ha Tay province, one of the hotspots in Vietnam for illegal bear farming activities. The bear cubs most likely originated in Laos. Spring is the season when adult females are shot and killed and their cubs are funneled into the illegal trade.
Bear paws confiscated in Hai Phong
Hai Phong wildlife protection officers confiscated a wine jar containing two bear paws from a restaurant. The violation was reported to the hotline by a visiting Hanoi resident.
Hunters flee capture, abandons loris
A loris was discovered hidden in a bag abandoned by hunters when they were confronted by Lai Chau Forest Rangers. ENV subsequently facilitated the transfer of the loris to the Endangered Primate Rescue Center at Cuc Phuong National Park.
Tiger teeth and rhino horn discovered in Hanoi
Hanoi Environmental Police confiscated tiger teeth, rhino horn, and other animal parts from two homes in Hanoi. The seizure was one of many recent cases involving rhino horns, most of which are believed to originate in Africa and are smuggled into Vietnam.
Bear cub wine confiscated
Forest Rangers confiscated snake and bear wine from a restaurant in Hoa Binh province after ENV received a tip from a local informant. Amongst other violations reported by the informant, the restaurant displayed a bear cub stuffed in a large wine jar. The confiscated wildlife products were subsequently destroyed.
Tiger trader bagged in Hanoi
Another tiger was seized by police at a private home on June 6. The tiger, which reportedly was smuggled into Vietnam from Laos, was frozen and cut into five pieces.
Hanoi Residents Pledge to Protect Bears
Almost 5,000 Hanoi residents demonstrated their commitment to protecting Vietnam’s bears by signing pledges not to use bear bile or consume products made from bears during a weekend campaign at the Big C shopping center. The weekend campaign was part of a new campaign by ENV to enlist publicsupport in efforts to end bear farming and trade in Vietnam. (Detail)
ENV Takes Action to Save Asia’s Tigers
ENV has released a Vietnamese language narrated version of a film produced by the International Tiger Coalition highlighting the critical importance of maintaining the ban on commercial trade of tigers in China. (Detail)
May 2008
Gibbons Rescued from Restaurant in Dong Nai (May 31, 2008)
After nearly a year in waiting, three gibbons that were being kept at a restaurant in Dong Nai province were finally transferred over to a rescue center. The restaurant owner was subsequently issued a fine of 22 million VND (about $1,300 USD). The gibbons were first reported to the ENV hotline in June 2007, but local political influence obstructed initial efforts to confiscate the gibbons, which are fully protected under Vietnamese law.
ENV Wildlife Crime Unit stats for May 2008
ENV logged 51 wildlife crime cases during the month of May including nine trade seizures, 18 cases involving illegal possession of wildlife, 23 restaurant or market selling cases, and one advertising case. The months hottest cases included a rhino horn seizure at the airport in Ho Chi Minh and two bear cubs rescued in Quang Tri province. By the end of May, ENV had recorded 1253 cases in total.
Three bears on a boat
An army border patrol confiscated three bears from a boat in northern Quang Ninh province as smugglers attempted to cross the Ka Long River into China. The bears were transferred to a rescue center in June.
Bear cubs amidst shipment of endangered wildlife
Quang Tri authorities confiscated a shipment of wildlife reportedly smuggled over the border from Laos which included two bear cubs, king cobras, a python and 30kg of rat snakes, monitor lizards, and turtles. ENV is working with Quang Tri authorities to have the bears transferred to the AAF bear rescue center at Tam Dao.
Leopard cat confiscated from private home in Thanh Hoa
After ENV field staff observed a leopard cat being kept by a local trader in Thanh Hoa province, Forest Rangers reportedly confiscated the cat and released it in a local nature reserve.
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