Protect Endangered Wildlife Against Exploitation

January is generally a month of introspection and fresh goals; by reflecting on the year just concluded, we can better prepare for the one ahead. That's why it's important to take a moment to look back at the progress made in 2023 and use what we've learned to make 2024 even more impactful in protecting endangered wildlife from exploitation.

At a glance, from January to December 2023, with an average of 9 public reports per day, our Wildlife Crime Unit has logged over 3,500 new wildlife crime cases, consisting of more than 11,000 individual violations. In total, more than 2,500 live wild animals have been seized or voluntarily transferred.

We are pleased to share some of the highlights in our fight to end wildlife exploitation that occurred since our last report.

Bears

When ENV began tackling the bear bile industry in 2005, more than 4,300 bears were being kept on bile farms in Vietnam. As of December 31, 2023, the number of bile bears has decreased to 208, and a total of 46 provinces have achieved bear farm-free status. In 2023, a total of 19 bears from bile farms have been transferred to rescue centers.

Elephant Ivory

In 2023, the ENV Wildlife Crime Unit logged a total of 327 ivory-related cases, with the majority of the cases (284) being ivory internet crime cases. Special mention goes to a prosecution case that saw a 12-year sentence being handed down to a man who smuggled 11.82 kg of rhino horn and 4.712 kg of ivory bracelets from Angola to Vietnam (Case ref. 27000/ENV).

In December 2023, ENV witnessed the incineration of 456.9 kg of ivory, 138.7 kg of rhino horn, 6.2 tonnes of pangolin scales, and 3.1 tonnes of lion bones – all evidence from two cases of port seizures that occurred in 2021 and 2022 respectively – carried out by the Da Nang Civil Judgment Enforcement Department (Case refs. 20572, 22583/ENV).

Pangolins

In 2023, a total of 130 pangolin cases were logged by the ENV Wildlife Crime Unit, with 7 live pangolins being seized or voluntarily transferred. Important prosecutions also occurred, including:

• A total of 14 years and two months of jail time was given to two men for transporting pangolins from Laos into Vietnam. One was sentenced to seven years and six months, and the other was given six years and eight months in prison (Case ref. 24652/ENV).

• A 6-year sentence for two men and a 5-year sentence for a third subject in a case involving the transportation of 22 dead Sunda pangolins (Manis javanica) in the trunk of a car (Case ref. 25814/ENV).

Primates, turtles, & other illegal ‘pets’

Over the year, 980 turtles and tortoises, 11 otters, 27 civets, 139 macaques, and 15 lorises were confiscated or voluntarily transferred.

In a particular case, in December 2023, ENV assisted a resort in Nho Quan District of Ninh Binh province to voluntarily transfer six long-tailed macaques to Cuc Phuong National Park (Case ref. 27203/ENV). In another case, in response to a public report to the ENV Wildlife Crime Hotline, the Thai Binh Provincial Forest Protection Department confiscated three pig-tailed macaques (Macaca leonina), two rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), a Burmese python (Python bivittatus), and two crocodiles from a resort in Thai Binh province. The animals were relocated to Hoang Lien National Park (Case ref. 3098/ENV).

Internet Crime

Over 1,832 cases of wildlife crime have been reported to ENV in 2023, involving advertisements and sales of wildlife on various social media platforms and websites such as Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. By working in collaboration with our social media partners, we were able to take down 55 online wildlife-selling groups that had more than 360,000 members, along with numerous social media accounts and violation links.

Communication and Public Awareness

On the public awareness front, in June 2023, ENV released the fourth Public Service Announcement (PSA) of 2023 and ENV’s 56th, titled “Knock Knock.” The PSA aims to raise public awareness about everyday wildlife crimes and the negative consequences associated with these violations. In the PSA, examples of common wildlife crimes are shown through a series of snapshots featuring individuals of different genders, ages, and social statuses. Some of these people seem to be engaged in “normal” daily activities without realizing that they are doing something in violation of the law and might face consequences.

To end on a high note, in December, in collaboration with our partner Sporting Republic, we hosted Vietnam’s first “Run for Turtles,” the 14th Song Hong Half Marathon. The event aimed at promoting the conservation of turtles and encouraging the public not to illegally buy or sell turtles or keep them as pets, and saw 500 runners from 27 countries participating.

The ENV team is ready to focus on this new year, armed with the knowledge and insights that we've gained from the past, and with your crucial continuous support.

Thank you for enabling us to promote the protection of wildlife, assist in rescuing wildlife, and advocate for more policy changes.