Help End the Illegal Wildlife Trade in Vietnam

As the year draws to a close, we reflect on ENV’s achievements over three-quarters of the year in protecting wildlife and fighting illegal trade, accomplishments made possible thanks to the support of individuals like you.

Through sustained efforts, ENV has continued working alongside authorities to rescue animals, both voluntarily transferred and confiscated from illegal trade. From January to September this year, we helped rescue more than 1,200 wild animals.

With an average of 8.5 public reports daily, our Wildlife Crime Hotline has logged nearly 2,400 cases this year. In 2024 so far, ENV’s impact has included facilitating the rescue of over 120 mammals—among them 73 macaques, 11 lorises, and 12 otters—more than 490 reptiles, and over 600 wild and migratory birds. Each animal freed from illegal captivity or trafficking is a victory in our mission to protect biodiversity and safeguard vulnerable species, yet our ultimate goal remains to end this trade entirely.

In addition to responding to reports through our Wildlife Crime Hotline, ENV collaborates closely with police and key stakeholders in the criminal justice system. Together, we’re reinforcing Vietnam’s capacity to combat illegal wildlife trafficking effectively.

The two main resources produced since our last report include the Guidelines for Addressing Ivory-related Violations, released in June as part of our mission to end the exploitation and slaughter of African elephants for ivory consumption in Vietnam. This comprehensive resource was produced in over 3,500 copies and offers clear instructions on enforcing wildlife protection laws to combat ivory-related crimes. It was sent to 981 provincial and district agencies, including Forest Protection Departments, Police, Market Surveillance, Customs, and Border Guards, across all 63 provinces and cities in Vietnam.

In addition, In November, the last version of the ENV's National Counter Wildlife Trafficking (CWT) Priorities Brief was released to authorities nationwide, identifying 12 key issues key stakeholders should focus on in their efforts to fight the illegal wildlife trade. In 2016, ENV first identified ten critical actions that Vietnam should take to stop the illegal wildlife trade and positively impact the future of Vietnam’s endangered wildlife, as well as to reduce and ultimately eliminate Vietnam’s role in global wildlife trafficking. Since then, the National Counter Wildlife Trafficking (CWT) Priorities Brief has been produced and updated every year.

On the prosecution front, a woman was sentenced by Quang Xuong district court of Thanh Hóa province to 10 years in prison after being caught attempting to transport 16 live Sunda pangolins. Also worth mentioning are the recent criminal fines for two subjects involved in a case that saw the Hai Duong Provincial Economic Police and the Kinh Mon District Forest Protection Department raiding a home and seizing two live tigers. One man was arrested and confessed to purchasing the tigers through social media. On September 25, the Hai Duong Provincial Court sentenced him to a VND 1 billion criminal fine, while a second man, responsible for caring for the tigers, was fined VND 300 million. The tigers have since been transferred to the Hanoi Wildlife Rescue Center.

Beyond ENV’s critical role in advising law enforcement agencies to apprehend and prosecute wildlife criminals, we utilize these successful prosecutions to deliver strong deterrence messages. These messages are widely shared with the public, reinforcing the consequences of illegal wildlife trafficking and fostering a culture that values and protects wildlife.

Raising awareness of wildlife protection and reducing consumer demand are also crucial to eliminating the market for endangered wildlife and ultimately their illegal trade. In September we released our 58^th Public Service Announcement (PSA), titled “Religious release of wildlife: Kindness or Karma?”, addressing the urgent issue of turtle sales for religious releases, urging the public to bring good luck and positive karma for themselves and turtles by halting the practice of releasing turtles, most of which are taken from the wild. This PSA is part of ENV’s broader campaign aimed at bringing an end to turtle sales for religious releases at pagodas. In 2020, ENV initiated a collaboration with 1,135 pagodas across the country aimed at reducing turtle releases on their premises. ENV communicates regularly with these pagodas, providing support in their efforts to educate their patrons about the negative impact of buying and releasing turtles, and facilitating transfers of turtles to rescue centers.

In October, ENV hosted the "Ending Bear Farming in Vietnam: The Road to Victory" press conference in Hanoi, to reflect on and celebrate significant milestones in the journey towards ending bear bile farming in Vietnam. On the occasion, ENV presented the State of the Trade report, highlighting the current state of the bear trade in Vietnam, and ENV’s Bear documentary featuring key milestones from the 20-year journey toward ending bear bile farming in the country.

Thank you for standing with us. Your support enables ENV to move us closer to a world where all wildlife can thrive in their natural habitats, free from trafficking and exploitation.

The fight against the illegal wildlife trade in Vietnam is in full force. As we proudly play our part, bringing to the table innovative strategies to tackle the issue, we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge the crucial support of donors like you, that allows ENV to achieve the successes reported below.

In the first half of 2024, our Wildlife Crime Unit logged over 1,500 new wildlife crime cases, consisting of more than 4,700 individual violations. With ENV's support, 787 live wild animals have been rescued or voluntarily transferred from January to June of this year.

Below are some examples of successful cases since our last report:

• ENV provided assistance to a person in voluntarily transfer four critically endangered Bourret's box turtles to the Ho Chi Minh City Forest Protection Department. The turtles were relocated to the Cu Chi Wildlife Rescue Station (Case ref. 30385/ENV).

• With the support of ENV, the abbot of a pagoda in Hiep Thanh district voluntarily handed over nine leopard cats, three yellow-headed temple turtles, and two elongated tortoises to the Bac Lieu Provincial Forest Protection Department (Case ref. 30641/ENV).

• After receiving a report about wildlife being sold at a market in Dong Nai, ENV notified law enforcement who checked the site and found a pigmy loris. The Forest Protection Department proceeded to confiscate the animal and transfer it to Cat Tien National Park (Case ref. 29309/ENV).

• In Dong Nai, a long-tailed macaque and a pig-tailed macaque were finally confiscated from an establishment after multiple reports to our Hotline, starting in 2021. Despite earlier searches coming up empty, this time the Forest Protection Department successfully located and confiscated the macaques (Case ref. 22413/ENV).

Law and Policy

ENV works closely with police and other stakeholders within the criminal justice system to strengthen Vietnam’s efforts to fight illegal wildlife trafficking.

As a part of our continuous mission to assist authorities, officials, and law enforcement throughout Vietnam in addressing wildlife trade issues, since 2006 we have produced the ENV Wildlife Crime Bulletin. In May, we released issue 1 of our 2024 Wildlife Crime Bulletin, featuring several key highlights. These include the opportunity presented by the revision of Decree 06 to include a "clean list," the growing threat posed by the invasion of red-eared sliders, and the need to combat online wildlife crime through confiscation and financial penalties. Additionally, we provide a comprehensive overview of the ENV Wildlife Crime Unit's operations in 2023.

Additionally, ENV assisted court authorities in several key prosecution cases. Below, are some of the most recent:

• The Cao Bang Provincial Court sentenced two smugglers and a taxi driver to 19 years in prison for illegally transporting 132 exotic wildlife species, including 10 live grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus), five live yellow-crested cockatoos (Cacatua sulphurea), 75 live rose-ringed parakeets (Psittacula krameri), 16 meerkats (Suricata suricatta), and three red-necked wallabies (Notamacropus rufogriseus). Another driver was fined VND 60 million for his involvement in the smuggling case (Case ref. 26334/ENV).

• The Nghi Son Town Court sentenced three individuals in Thanh Hoa to a combined total of over 18 years in prison for their involvement in the transportation and sale of seven pangolins (Case ref. 25863/ENV).

• A subject in Quang Ninh received a 6-year prison sentence for illegally transporting four live Sunda pangolins (Manis javanica) weighing a total of 27.4 kg on his motorbike (Case ref. 30251/ENV).

• Quang Nam Provincial Court refused an appeal request and upheld a 13-year prison sentence for two women who illegally traded a variety of wild species, including two Indochinese rat snakes (Ptyas korros) and 69 turtles comprising 11 Bourret's box turtles (Cuora bourreti), two big-headed turtles (Platysternon megacephalum), 14 keeled box turtles (Cuora mouhotii), seven Chinese stripe-necked turtles (Mauremys sinensis), 33 Asian stripe-necked leaf turtles (Cyclemys pulchristriata), an Asian leaf turtle (Cyclemys oldhami), and an elongated tortoise (Indotestudo elongata) (Case ref. 21406/ENV).

Communications and Public Awareness

Our Communication and Public Awareness team has continued working around the clock to reach a wider audience and raise awareness about wildlife protection.

The war against the illegal wildlife trade can’t be won without the public’s support and their active participation. For this, in May we released our 57th Public Service Announcement (PSA), the ENV Call Center, aimed at encouraging the public to protect wildlife by reporting wildlife violations to the ENV toll-free Wildlife Crime Hotline at 1800-1522. The PSA showcases a typical working day at the ENV Wildlife Crime Unit. Officers receive wildlife crime reports from the public throughout the country, passing on the reports to the relevant authorities. The bustling scenes depict their collaboration with law enforcement agencies during operations that lead to the arrest of criminals and confiscation of wildlife.

Until next time, when we get to share more about the great difference your contributions have made in our fight against the illegal wildlife trade.