Help 30 Women Fight Wildlife Crime in Vietnam

Between July and December 2025, our team logged 2,058 new wildlife cases and 7,614 violations, a 71.5% increase compared to the first six months of 2025. This was an unusual surge, with most cases involving wild birds. Of the 2,058 new cases, 1,163 were bird crime cases, involving more than 46,800 wild and migratory birds.

A total of 780 wildlife crime cases were successfully addressed in the second half of 2025. As a result, 7,424 animals were rescued from illegal trade. Many of the rescued animals were threatened or endangered species, including Ha Tinh langurs, pangolins, hornbills, and Impressed tortoises.

Below are a few examples of successes recorded by our team during this reporting period:

• On August 6, 2024, Trung Khanh District Police in Cao Bang province arrested a woman carrying a bag containing saiga (Saiga tatarica) horns. Two men accompanying her fled the scene, leaving behind two additional bags of horns. Authorities seized 288 horns, weighing 59.5 kg. Subsequently, the two men who had escaped, along with the main suspects hired by a Chinese individual to transport the horns to China, were apprehended. On August 27, 2025, Cao Bang Provincial Court sentenced the main suspect to 48 months in prison, while the woman received 15 months in prison. Two other men were given 24-month suspended sentences with 48 months of probation each. The horns were destroyed (Case ref. 34756/ENV).

• On August 6, 2025, Gia Lai Provincial Economic Police, in cooperation with commune police, arrested a man transporting a live Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) by motorcycle. During a search of the man's home, the police seized a live king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah). The man confessed to buying the animals for resale. The animals were transferred to the Rescue, Conservation and Development Center for Organisms of Kon Ka Kinh National Park (Case ref. 34208/ENV).

• On Sept 12, 2025, after receiving a report from ENV, the Hoa Long Commune Police warned an online seller and instructed him to hand over two Oriental small-clawed otters (Aonyx cinerea) to the Dong Tam Snake Farm rescue center. After being warned by the police, the man removed his advertising messages from an online otter Facebook trading group (Case ref. 34385/ENV).

• On October 8, 2025, during a sting operation conducted in cooperation with ENV, the Hoa Xuan Ward Police in Da Nang City arrested a woman for transporting 5 kg of pangolin (Manis javanica) scales (Case ref. 33952/ENV).

• On October 30, 2025, Cao Lanh Ward Police, acting on a Law Enforcement Evidence Package from ENV, confiscated 44 ivory bracelets from an online seller (Case 32171/ENV).

• On November 16, 2025, Hai Phong authorities inspected a restaurant and seized 94 birds, consisting of five live black-tailed crakes (Amaurornis bicolor), a live, black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), a live grey-headed swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio), two live koels, 50 live lesser whistling-ducks (Dendrocygna javanica), and 35 dead black-tailed crakes (Amaurornis bicolor). The restaurant owner confessed that the birds were purchased from different sellers for resale. On November 18, 2025, he was fined VND 17,500,000, and the live birds were released into nature (Case ref. 35358/ENV).

• On November 21, 2025, the mobile team of Ninh Binh authorities conducted an inspection and seized 655 frozen birds, consisting of 600 sparrows, 30 crakes, 15 Chinese pond herons (Ardeola bacchus), and 10 snipes at a local restaurant in Kim Thanh ward. On the same day, the restaurant owner was issued an administrative fine of VND 11,175,000 (Case ref. 35478/ENV).

• On December 3, 2025, Cao Bang Provincial Economic Police, in coordination with Cao Bang Traffic Police, arrested a man for transporting 12 live Sunda pangolins (Manis Javanica) by car. The man confessed that he had been hired by another man to collect the pangolins. All the pangolins were transferred to the Carnivore and Pangolin Conservation Program at Cuc Phuong National Park (Case ref. 35528/ENV).

• On December 16, 2025, a local man in Pleiku Ward of Gia Lai Province, voluntarily transferred five elongated tortoises (Indotestudo elongata) to the Pleiku Ward Police. With ENV's support, Dak Doa FPD arrived to receive the turtles the same day. On December 17, 2025, the turtles were placed at the rescue center of Kon Ka Kinh National Park (Case ref. 35699/ENV).

Legislation and Policy Team

On December 31, 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment issued Circular 85/2025/TT-BNNMT, aimed at strengthening the management of wildlife facilities and preventing wildlife laundering at registered wildlife facilities. Major improvements in Circular 85/2025/TT-BNNMT include clarifying regulations regarding the process for handling injured and sick endangered animals, tightening conditions for trading and processing wildlife, and strengthening requirements related to importing, exporting, re-importing, introduction from the sea, and transit of specimens of CITES-listed species.

During this reporting period, our team also communicated with 1,992 farm owners to inform them of the risks and consequences of using their farms as cover for illegal activities, citing a recent conviction involving violations at farms. In addition, we informed farm owners of key regulations introduced in the recently issued Circular 26/2025/BNNMT and Circular 27/2025/BNNMT and urged them to comply with the law to avoid potential legal risks to their business.

Communications and Public Awareness Team

During the second half of 2025, ENV produced and released two short films, also known as TV Public Service Announcements (PSA). The PSA “ENV, not EVN” uses a humorous angle to promote public reporting of wildlife crimes to the ENV Wildlife Crime Hotline, as ENV’s name is often confused with EVN, the country’s principal state-owned electrical company. This mix-up has caused countless comedic situations in our office. In this PSA, an elderly woman confuses EVN with ENV and turns in a tiger cub to the electric company.

The “Letter from prison” PSA illustrates the consequences of committing wildlife crime, including the loss of freedom, and the unbearable loss of family and future.

Thank you for making all of this possible and for continuing to support our efforts to protect precious wildlife!

Links:

• ENV website