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!