End the Killing of Elephants for VN Ivory Trade

Since our last report in January 2022, ENV has continued to apply the pressure to our ivory crime reduction and public awareness campaigns. This includes our case officers scouring the internet to uncover online ivory suppliers, releasing viral ads and other public awareness materials, and receiving reports from the public on ivory crime.

In February, ENV’s Wildlife Crime Unit carried out the first of three ivory crime reduction campaigns. Over two days, there were 122 new cases identified. The more serious offenses will be handled through law enforcement, while the majority of violations involve a small amount of ivory, such as bracelets, rings and other jewelry or décor. In these cases, ENV issued a warning to the offenders, requiring that links are removed. They have also been documented for further monitoring to ensure that sellers do not try to break the law again, which may incite further action.

Our communications team released a viral advert on Facebook displaying the fines violators can receive in Vietnam for advertising ivory products online. It reads ‘Do not advertise ivory products. Penalties can be up to 70 to 100 million VND’. The post reached 469.7k, while another ivory post reached 2,615 users. These deterrence ads are important in keeping the public informed about the penalties they may face, dissuading them from participating in any type of ivory crime.

Some notable law enforcement action so far this year includes:

• In January, collaboration with police resulted in an online ivory and bear product seller being arrested, along with the seizure of a live leopard cat, turtles, cobras, bear claws, wildlife wine and frozen wildlife.
• In February, police seized 27 ivory bracelets from a souvenir shop in Kien Giang province, after the shop was reported to ENV via our Wildlife Crime Hotline. After the ivory products were sent for an ID check, they were confirmed as elephant ivory, and the shop was fined 217 million VND (about $9,475). The ivory products are to be destroyed.
• In March, a known online supplier of bear, ivory and tiger products was caught with multiple bear claws in his home. This resulted in him receiving a suspended sentence of 14 months, with 28 months of probation. 
• In April, ENV gave police in Gai Lai an evidence package on a repeat offender advertising wildlife products, including bear bile, bear claws and tiger and ivory products. The subject’s account had been deactivated previously by our social media partners, but they kept making new accounts to advertise from. The police fined the subject 1.5 million VND.
• Also in Gai Lai, the police responded following ENV’s guidance on handling ivory crime in the area, successfully confiscating 146 suspected elephant ivory products from two jewelry shops. Each owner was fined 12 million VND.

Behind the scenes, our policy and legislation team continue to offer support to ongoing ivory crime cases, giving prosecutors the necessary guidance to apply the law to its fullest extent. Our communications team also have several public awareness campaigns in the works, particularly targeting the sale and purchasing of ivory product in tourist spots, like Dak Lak. We look forward to updating you next time when these activities come to fruition!

We want to thank you for your ongoing support which makes all of our efforts possible. Thanks to your generosity we can keep on fighting the elephant ivory trade in Vietnam, and combat global trafficking networks abroad.