Help End the Illegal Wildlife Trade in Vietnam

On behalf of the entire ENV team, thank you so much for your strong support! Your generous donations have enabled our dedicated team to make a great difference in combating the illegal wildlife trade in Vietnam.

Between March and June this year, ENV received 996 new wildlife crime cases, with 3,188 violations, reported by concerned citizens. Thanks to your support, our Wildlife Crime Unit successfully resolved 601 cases, ranging from removing illegal wildlife advertisements to collaborating with law enforcement to dismantle criminal networks.

A total of 504 live animals have been rescued from the trade within these four months, including 39 primates, 251 freshwater turtles and tortoises, 169 birds, and 45 other animals.

One of the most significant victories during this period was the arrest of a major pangolin trafficker and the seizure of approximately 900 kg of pangolin scales, striking a blow against one of the most devastating threats to these endangered species.

Below are examples of wildlife crime cases that have been handled successfully during this period:

On June 11, 2025, Bac Ninh Provincial Economic Police, in cooperation with ENV and its NGO partner, arrested a major transnational wildlife trafficker and confiscated approximately 900kg of pangolin scales belonging to three pangolin species, long-tailed pangolin (Manis tetradactyla), giant pangolin (Manis gigantea), and white-bellied pangolin (Manis tricuspis), from his warehouse (Case ref. 33766/ENV).

On April 16, 2025, Facebook removed a wildlife trading group named "Feng Shui Decorative Ivory," which had 21,772 members, following a report submitted by ENV through the Ministry of Communication. The group, which had facilitated the sale of elephant ivory, tiger, and bear products, was reported to ENV by a member of the public (Case ref. 28131/ENV).

On April 10, 2025, Bac Ha District Forest Protection Department in Lao Cai Province responded to a public report via the ENV Wildlife Crime Hotline and confiscated a tiger trophy from one of the most sacred temples (the Mother Goddess Temple) in Vietnam. The trophy was transferred to Lao Cai Provincial Museum (Case ref. 32962/ENV).

 On June 17, 2025, Can Tho City FPD responded to a public report via the ENV Wildlife Crime Hotline and confiscated a total of 55 turtles, consisting of 46 giant Asian pond turtles (Heosemys grandis), five yellow-headed temple turtles (Heosemys annandalii), five elongated tortoises (Indotestudo elongata), and five red-eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta elegans) from a local pagoda. All the native species were transferred to Cat Tien National Park, while the sliders were destroyed as they were an invasive species in Vietnam (Case ref. 32086/ENV).

On May 12, 2025, Bao Yen District FPD in Lao Cai province responded to a public report via the ENV Wildlife Crime Hotline and confiscated two tiger trophies from a local temple. The trophies were transferred to Lao Cai Provincial Museum (Case ref. 32960/ENV).

 On April 14, 2025, with support from ENV, a woman voluntarily transferred a pygmy loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus), which had reportedly been found in her garden, to Chiem Hoa District FPD in Tuyen Quang province. The loris was released back into nature (Case ref. 33241/ENV).

On May 21, 2025, Quang Binh Provincial FPD responded to a public report via the ENV Wildlife Crime Hotline and confiscated eleven Chinese striped-necked turtles (Mauremys sinensis), a Chinese pond turtle (Mauremys reevesii), and five Trachemys sp. from a local aquarium shop. The shop owner was administratively fined VND 5 million. The Trachemys sp. were destroyed, while the Chinese pond turtles and the Chinese striped-necked turtles were placed at the Rescue Center of Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park (Case ref. 33477/ENV)

 On April 21, 2025, with support from ENV, a local man Binh Thuan province voluntarily transferred a pygmy loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus) to Tanh Linh District FPD. The loris was released back into nature (Case ref. 33286/ENV).