Help End the Illegal Wildlife Trade in Vietnam

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.