Help End the Illegal Wildlife Trade in Vietnam

Our team had a very busy and productive year in 2023 with more than 3,500 new wildlife crime cases reported to ENV, resulting in tons of animals, parts, and products seized by authorities, and especially giving a second chance to more than 2,500 live animals rescued from the trade or voluntarily transferred by members of the public.

So far this year in 2024, ENV has received more than 600 new wildlife crime cases with more than 400 cases successfully addressed, and 360 live animals have been rescued or transferred to rescue centers.

Below are a few examples:

• ENV assisted a resort in Nho Quan district of Ninh Binh province in voluntarily transferring six long-tailed macaques to Cuc Phuong National Park (Case ref. 27203/ENV).

• 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 transferred to a rescue center at Hoang Lien National Park (Case ref. 3098/ENV).

• Upon being given a pangolin as a gift, a woman from Thua Thien Hue province contacted our hotline seeking assistance in ensuring the safe transfer of the endangered animal to the appropriate authorities. The pangolin was later transferred to Huong Tra town Forest Protection Department(Case ref. 29578/ENV).

• A pet shop in Vinh Yen City faced a big fine after the police received a report via the ENV Wildlife Crime Hotline. The police confiscated five black pond turtles from the shop and imposed an administrative fine of VND 345 million (USD 14,400) on the owner. The turtles were transferred to the Me Linh Station for Biodiversity (Case ref. 27919/ENV).

• Following a report to our Hotline, a subject was fined VND 85 million (USD 3,500)  by the Krong No District Police for advertising wildlife and their products on social media and possession of animal parts (Case ref. 24274/ENV).

• A citizen was fined VND 89,250,000 (USD 3,700) by Dong Xoai City Police and Binh Phuoc Provincial Forest Protection Department for illegally advertising wildlife online. The authorities received a report through the ENV Hotline, and upon investigation, found a dead civet (Case ref. 29138/ENV).

Law and Policy

In 2023, about 140 correspondences were sent by the ENV Law and Policy team to agencies of the justice system to advocate for strict punishment for wildlife crimes nationwide.

Among the most recent prosecutions, the following cases are worth a mention:

• In February 2024, the Dien Chau District Court handed down punishments to three subjects for their involvement in illegally transporting and possessing 72 big-headed turtles and pangolins in Nghe An. One of the men was sentenced to 7 years and 6 months in prison while another received 7 years, and the third man received 6 years (Case ref. 26720/ENV).

• In February 2024, Yen Thanh District Court sentenced a person to 12 months in prison with an additional fine of VND 25 million. The subject had been arrested for illegally transporting a frozen clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), a frozen Asian golden cat (Catopuma temminckii), two lion (Panthera leo) canines, a tiger (Panthera tigris) canine, and five tiger (Panthera tigris) claws (Case ref. 27978/ENV).

• In February 2024, U Minh Thuong District Court sentenced a subject to a 3-year prison sentence for illegally transporting 40 Mekong snail-eating turtles (Malayemys subtrijuga) and a Southeast Asian box turtle (Cuora amboinensis) (Case ref. 28738/ENV).

Communications and Public Awareness

Our Communication and Public Awareness team has continued working around the clock to reach a wider audience and raise awareness about wildlife protection.

Recently, ENV partnered with the Department of Information and Communications to send text messages to 1.9 million mobile subscribers in Dak Lak, a region in Vietnam notorious for being an ivory retail hotspot. The message aimed to encourage local people to stop trading ivory, reduce the demand for it, and promote reports of any violations to the ENV Wildlife Crime Hotline.

Moreover, as part of our ENV Elephant Friendly Zones campaign, we have taken a proactive measure by placing standees at nine governmental offices in the Buon Ma Thuot city region to raise awareness about ivory crimes and promote our Hotline to report such violations.

Another recent highlight was the awareness event held at a popular shopping mall in Thai Nguyen province. The event aimed to spread awareness about the impacts on endangered wildlife when used as a component in traditional medicine.

We look forward to our next opportunity to update you on the incredible impact your donations have made towards ENV's mission to combat the illegal wildlife trade.

Together, we are creating a better future for wild animals.