Help 30 Women Fight Wildlife Crime in Vietnam

This October, our brave female warriors at ENV celebrated Vietnamese Women's Day by working with unwavering determination and dedication in the fight against wildlife crime.

We are proud to share their latest achievements with you and hope you can get inspired by their commitment.

At a glance, as of the end of June, 1,740 live wild animals have been seized from the illegal trade or voluntarily transferred by locals, and our all-woman Wildlife Crime Unit has handled over 1,844 wildlife crime cases. Among numerous other species, the first half of 2023 has seen the confiscation of 733 turtles and tortoises, 11 otters, five lorises, two leopard cats, two gibbons, a langur, and 62 macaques.

Your continuous support has made the following important news possible:

• 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 8 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).

• After an informant reported a Facebook page advertising a variety of snakes to our Hotline, the Ham Thuan Nam District Forest Protection Department confiscated two radiated rat snakes (Elaphe radiata) from an online seller. The subject was fined VND 7,250,000, and the snakes were released in Ta Cu Nature Reserve (Case ref. 27815/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).

• 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).

• An informant called the ENV Wildlife Crime Hotline to report a woman selling a loris on a street in Lao Cai province. We informed the Forest Protection Department, who confiscated it (Case ref. 27838/ENV).

Legislation and Policy Team

ENV takes a strategic and integrated approach to fighting illegal wildlife trafficking in Vietnam. This includes collaborating with policy-makers to strengthen legislation, close loopholes in the law, and encourage the effective application of laws and policies that protect wildlife.

In line with this, 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.

In addition, below is a list of key 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 15.4kg 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). 

Communications and Public Awareness Team

ENV's dedicated and hardworking communications team has been relentlessly striving to raise public awareness about the importance of wildlife protection.

In June 2023, ENV released its 55^th Public Service Announcement (PSA) “Marine turtles belong to the sea,” bringing attention to the illegal hunting, trade, and advertising that is threatening the survival of marine turtles. The PSA was broadcast on 50 TV Stations.

In August, we launched an awareness campaign targeting traditional medicine shops in 8 major cities across Vietnam. A group of highly trained volunteers visited numerous shops, encouraging the owners to sign a pledge and join the “Wildlife-Friendly Traditional Medicine Establishments” network. The 150 shops who signed the pledge will display their “Wildlife-Friendly Establishment” status at their premises to inform customers and visitors that they do not support the sale of wildlife-derived medicines, while at the same time helping to raise awareness on the issue.

ENV’s all-women team is committed to keeping our wildlife safe and thriving, and we're grateful for your support in this important mission.

Thank you, and until next time!

Today, we are excited to share with you the latest successes from ENV's all-women team in the fight against Vietnam's illegal wildlife trade!

At a glance, in 2022, ENV facilitated the seizure and voluntary transfer of 3,223 live wild animals, and our Wildlife Crime Unit handled 3,405 wildlife crime cases.

As the statistics for the second quarter of 2023 are being compiled, we are pleased to announce that during the first three months of 2023 alone, a total of 994 animals have already been seized or voluntarily transferred, with our Wildlife Crime Unit logging 819 cases.

Below, we’ve summarized some of the most recent and important news from the field – all of which would not be possible without your ongoing support.

Notable cases:

• Five souvenir and jewelry shops in Dak Lak province were involved in the seizures of ivory products by the police, following ENV surveying the shops and reporting the violations to the authorities. This resulted in the following seizures per shop: 113 ivory products, 27 ivory products, 33 ivory products, 36 ivory products, and 115 ivory rings respectively. In at least two cases, the products were suspected or reported by the subject to be fake, and samples have been taken for testing.
• Otters were confiscated in two separate cases, one from an online seller in Ho Chi Minh City and the other from an online seller in Tay Ninh province. Both cases came as a result of reports to the ENV hotline by members of the public, with ENV gathering information and collaborating with the relevant authorities.
• ENV received a public report from someone regarding several macaques held captive at a residence in Ho Chi Minh City. This included two long-tailed macaques, two pig-tailed macaques, and a stump-tailed macaque. We gave the information to the Forest Protection Department, who confiscated all five macaques and transferred them to Cu Chi Wildlife Rescue Station.
• ENV received a report from a member of the public regarding a restaurant selling and serving wildlife in Binh Duong province. After a search yielding no results, we got further information of a civet being kept at the restaurant, and the Forest Protection Department checked again. They successfully confiscated two ferret badgers, a common palm civet, and a long-tailed macaque. The restaurant received a fine of VND 10.5 million, and the wild animals were transferred to the Wildlife At Risk Rescue Center. 
• Two bird shops in Hanoi were found to have wildlife violations following a survey carried out by ENV. After working with the relevant Forest Protection Department, they successfully confiscated 110 birds from one shop and 107 birds from the other. Both shop owners were fined VND 3 million for their crimes.

Policy and Legislation Team

Our Policy and Legislation Team continued to communicate with prosecutors and other authorities on critical wildlife crime cases, as well as disseminating information and sending correspondence regarding modifications and proposals to wildlife protection legislation and policy in Vietnam.

ENV sent communications to a wide range of stakeholders, including commercial wildlife facilities and non-commercial facilities, notifying them of legislation relevant to the operation of their establishments and urging them to fully comply with the law.

In 2023, we sent a correspondence on wildlife protection to 1,125 pagodas and 586 churches in 63 provinces of Vietnam, urging these religious establishments not to allow wildlife to be ‘released’ on the premises and for all wildlife to be reported to local authorities or to the ENV Wildlife Crime Hotline.

Moreover, in the first three months of 2023, ENV sent postcards to 1,207 traditional medicine shops in 9 cities/provinces, inviting them to join ENV’s Wildlife-friendly Traditional Medicine Businesses/Practitioners Network and commit not to sell traditional medicines derived from endangered wildlife.

Key prosecutions:

In the first quarter of 2023, ENV was involved in 27 wildlife crime prosecutions. We worked closely with police and judicial authorities to make sure wildlife criminals were brought to justice and sentenced according to the law. While the trials of these cases are still ongoing, and we will update you in due time, below is a list of key prosecutions which occurred since our last report:

• In August 2022, five live pangolins smuggled from Laos into Vietnam were seized at Bo Y Border Gate in Kon Tum province, and two men were arrested. In January 2023, the two men were sentenced to prison terms of six years and eight months and seven years and six months respectively.
• In July 2022, nine black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) horn pieces and 43 white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) horn pieces – all weighing a total of 138 kg – as well as 3.108 tonnes of lion bones were seized at Da Nang port. In February 2023, a subject involved in this case was sentenced to a total of 13 years in prison, comprising 10 years for wildlife violations and three years for fabricating an organization's seal or documents. In addition, he also had to pay a fine of VND 50 million.
• In January 2022, 456.9 kg of African elephant (Loxodonta africana) ivory and 6.2 tonnes of pangolin scales were seized at Da Nang port. In February 2023, the subject was sentenced to 13 years in prison and received an additional fine of VND 50 million.
• In July 2022, 11 sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) claws and some African elephant (Loxodonta Africana) ivory pendants, an African elephant (Loxodonta Africana) ivory bracelet, and numerous fake wildlife products were seized from an online seller in Ba Ria - Vung Tau province. In March 2023, the online seller was sentenced to 12 months in prison.
• In September 2022, a man in Nghe An province was arrested for illegally transporting five Indochinese box turtles (Cuora galbinifrons), a big-headed turtle (Platysternon megacephalum), a tokay, and two hoary bamboo rats by motorbike. Police later inspected his house and seized 0.17 kg pangolin scales, as well as various other live and dead wildlife species. In March 2023, the subject was sentenced to 13 months in prison and fined VND 6 million.
• In October 2022, two Sunda pangolins (Manis javanica) and other wildlife were seized in Ha Tinh province. In March 2023, the transporter was sentenced to a prison term of 15 months.

Communications and Public Awareness Team

ENV’s communications team has continued raising public awareness through in-person events in various cities across Vietnam, viral campaigns on social media, and wildlife protection news shared with the local press.

In February, to challenge the belief that elephant ivory is a symbol of luxury and good fortune, we released our 54^th Public Service Announcement (PSA), “Luxury Party”, which was distributed and broadcast by 54 national TV channels. In addition, the PSA was aired at Buon Ma Thuot Airport and featured on the Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee website, as well as on the Dak Lak Department of Information and Communication website.

In addition, as part of ENV’s Wildlife Protection Volunteers activities, different events were held in the first quarter of 2023, including exhibitions to promote wildlife awareness and networking events to recruit and train volunteers. Several public awareness exhibitions were held in Hai Phong, Can Tho, Da Nang, Hue, and Hanoi, where volunteers gathered more than 1,800 pledges from the public to protect wildlife.

Your invaluable support of ENV is the driving force behind all of the above. Thank you, and until next time!