Help End the Illegal Wildlife Trade in Vietnam

As the year draws to a close, we are delighted to share the progress made possible by your support of ENV's efforts to eradicate the illegal wildlife trade in Vietnam.

From January to September 2023, 2,125 live wild animals have been seized or voluntarily transferred, and our Wildlife Crime Unit has handled over 2,760 wildlife crime cases, consisting of over 8,500 violations. Among numerous other species, 976 turtles and tortoises, 15 lorises, six leopard cats, four gibbons, a langur, and 101 macaques have been confiscated or voluntarily transferred.

Since our last report, several new key cases have occurred. We are pleased to share them with you: 

• An Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus), the last at a bear farm in Lao Cai province, was voluntarily transferred by the owner. ENV worked for years to persuade the bear's owner to voluntarily give up the bear and give it a second shot at life at a rescue center. The bear was transferred to the Hoang Lien National Park Rescue Center (Case ref. 4308/ENV).

• In September, Ham Thuan Nam District Police arrested a repeat offender who was caught en route to deliver two macaques. This individual had been reported to ENV in 2017 for illegally advertising various live animals and wildlife products online. In January 2022, the subject was arrested for the first time for illegally transporting a gibbon. In April of the same year, he was sentenced to an 18-month suspended sentence and 36 months’ probation. However, in October of that year, he was again arrested and fined VND 15 million for transporting eight pig-tailed macaques and an Asian palm civet. Despite these previous penalties, the offender was caught again and will now face prosecution (Case ref. 11291/ENV).

• In October, District 1 Police in Ho Chi Minh City arrested a man and confiscated three silver-covered bear claws and two ivory bracelets following a collaborative effort with ENV. The subject was an online seller who was reported to our Hotline back in December 2013 for advertising bear claws, bear canines, tiger claws, tiger canines, and ivory bracelets (Case ref. 5643/ENV).

• In October, during an operation undertaken by the Nghe An Economic Police in collaboration with ENV, a woman and her son-in-law were arrested, and approximately 2,846 kg of pangolin scales were confiscated (Case ref. 28974/ENV).

• In October, following a collaborative effort with ENV, Dak R'Lap District Police in Dak Nong province arrested a man for illegally possessing a pygmy slow loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus) (Case ref. 28967/ENV).

• Three macaques were confiscated from a persistent violator in a case that started with a report of illegal online wildlife advertising made to our Hotline in 2018. Despite multiple warnings, this individual continued to advertise wild animals online. This time, the Dong Nai Provincial Forest Protection Department checked the subject’s home and was able to locate three macaques, which were confiscated (Case ref. 13578/ENV).

• Following a report to our Wildlife Crime Hotline, Khanh Hoa Fisheries confiscated a marine turtle illegally sold at a restaurant in Cam Ranh city and released it back into the sea (Case ref. 28177/ENV). 

Law and Policy

Our Legislation & Policy Team has released two key annual reports targeting law enforcement agencies and the judicial system in Vietnam. In August, ENV released the CWT (combatting wildlife trafficking) Responsiveness and Performance Report 2022, an independent evaluation of the performance of law enforcement agencies in dealing with publicly reported wildlife crime in Vietnam, and in September, we released the Prosecution Review: Wildlife Trafficking Cases in Vietnam 2022, a review of the performance of Vietnam’s criminal justice system in dealing with wildlife trafficking cases in 2022.

The results from both reports show that Vietnam continues to demonstrate a positive and concerted effort to address wildlife crime.                          

Below are some of the most recent prosecutions for which ENV provided input and support to law enforcement agencies and the justice system:

• In December 2022, Cao Bang Environment Police seized 22 dead Sunda pangolins (Manis javanica) from the trunk of a car. Three subjects were arrested. In September 2023, Cao Bang Provincial Court sentenced two men to 6 years in prison each, while the third subject received a 5.5-year prison sentence (Case ref. 25814/ENV).

• In July 2023, Quynh Luu District Police in Nghe An province arrested two subjects while transporting a live tiger. One of the two subjects had already been arrested for transporting a dead tiger in Dien Bien in 2022. For that crime, he had received a fine of VND 500 million. In September 2023, both subjects were sentenced to 12 months in prison by Quynh Luu District Court (Case ref. 27807/ENV).

• In December 2022, Hanoi City Environment Police cooperated with the Hanoi City Forest Protection Department and seized 21 ivory products weighing 15.4 kg from a shop in Hoang Mai district. The shop owner was arrested. In September 2023, he was sentenced to 30 months in prison by Hoang Mai District Court (Case ref. 25881/ENV).

• In February 2023, Ba Vi District Police arrested a man for transporting two live Bengal slow lorises (Nycticebus bengalensis). A seller was arrested as well. In August 2023, Ba Vi District Court sentenced the seller to 13 months in prison, while the transporter was sentenced to 12 months (Case ref. 26605/ENV).

• In March 2023, Tuy Duc District Police arrested a man for illegally transporting a Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica). Following the investigation, the police also arrested three men who had been responsible for hunting the pangolin in Bu Gia Map National Park. In September 2023, the four subjects were sentenced by Bu Gia Map District Court to prison terms of 2 years and 6 months each (Case ref. 26383/ENV).

• In January 2023, Dien Chau District Police in Nghe An Province seized a tiger trophy, a tiger head trophy, six tiger skins, a leopard (Panthera pardus) skin, and a suspected wild buffalo head trophy (which could later not be identified) at a residential house and arrested four men. In October, the main subject was sentenced to 6 years in prison, while three of his accomplices each received suspended sentences ranging from 15 to 18 months and 30 to 36 months’ probation (Case ref. 26137/ENV).

• In November 2022, Trang Bom District Economic Police confiscated six pygmy lorises (Nycticebus pygmaeus), three leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis), a clouded monitor (Varanus nebulosus), two long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis), and a Burmese python (Python bivittatus). A man was arrested and given an administrative fine of VND 30.8 million. In October 2023, the subject was sentenced to a prison term of 2 years by Trang Bom District Court (Case ref. 25639/ENV).

• On December 20, 2022, Phu Xuyen District Police in Hanoi confiscated three African elephant (Loxodonta africana) ivory bracelets and two Malayan sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) claws that were being shipped via post by a subject in Dak Lak province. The man was arrested in April 2023. In September, he was sentenced to an 18-month suspended sentence and 36 months’ probation, in addition to an administrative fine of VND 195 million (Case ref. 17881/ENV).

Communications and Public Awareness

As part of our continuous efforts to increase awareness and mobilize public action to protect wildlife, thus far in 2023, the ENV Communication and Public Awareness team has hosted more than 30 public events and exhibitions all over Vietnam.

In October, our team and volunteers organized an exhibition at a popular shopping mall in Hanoi.

The aim of the event was to raise awareness among visitors about the importance of protecting wildlife and to collect pledges not to use wildlife. The exhibition featured various games for children, informative sessions, and the screening of our latest public service announcements, and more than 500 pledges were signed by the visitors.

In November, we released ENV’s 56^th Public Service Announcement, “Knock Knock,” which aims to raise public awareness about everyday wildlife crimes and the negative consequences associated with these violations. In the PSA, examples of common wildlife crimes are shown through a series of snapshots featuring individuals of different genders, ages, and social statuses. Some of these people seem to be engaged in “normal” daily activities without realizing that they are doing something in violation of the law and might face consequences.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support of ENV's efforts in combating the illegal wildlife trade in Vietnam.

We appreciate your generous contributions, which have enabled us to make substantial progress in this fight. We look forward to sharing more updates with you in the future regarding the impact of your support.