Help 30 Women Fight Wildlife Crime in Vietnam

Thank you all for supporting our team as we work to combat wildlife crime in Vietnam! Below is a summary of our progress from June to August this year.

During this period, ENV received reports of 641 new wildlife crime cases, and our team has successfully addressed 506 reported cases. As a result, a total of 368 live animals were rescued from the illegal trade, including 165 turtles, 136 wild birds, 17 primates, and other wildlife.  In addition, with assistance from information provided by ENV, police seized more than one metric ton of ivory smuggled from Africa.

Below are examples of successes achieved by our team during this period:

On June 11, 2026, Tay Ninh provincial authorities responded to an ENV crime report and confiscated a large quantity of exotic wildlife from a residential house, consisting of 92 Sulcata tortoises (Centrochelys sulcata) and 18 wild birds (Case ref. 34110/ENV).

On June 13, 2026, with support from ENV, a local resident transferred six macaques to Quang Ninh FPD. The macaques were released into a local forest (Case ref. 31278/ENV).

On June 18, 2026, Duong Kinh ward police in Hai Phong city responded to an ENV crime report and confiscated 14 Chinese cobras (Naja atra), three common rat snakes (Ptyas mucosus), and a radiated rat snake (Coelognathus radiatus) from a local residence. The subject was fined VND 16,000,000 (Case ref. 30629/ENV).

On June 25, 2026, Nam Ninh commune police in Ninh Binh province responded to an ENV online crime report and confiscated seven common cobras (Naja kaouthia) and three Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) at a residence. The animals were transferred to Cuc Phuong National Park. The subject was given an administrative fine of VND 10,000,000 (Case ref. 35127/ENV).

On June 26, 2026, with support from ENV, Buon Ma Thuot ward People's Committee and local FPD in Dak Lak province received two stump-tailed macaques (Macaca arctoides) from a local man. The macaques were transferred to a national park (Case ref. 37766/ENV).

On July 8, 2026, Dong Hoa ward police in Ho Chi Minh City responded to a public report, recorded via the ENV Wildlife Crime Hotline, and confiscated 38 elongated tortoises (Indotestudo elongata) from a trader’s house. The subject was fined VND 10,000,000. He was an online turtle trader who had been under investigation by ENV since June 2025 (Case ref. 37773/ENV).

On July 11, 2026, with support from ENV, Gia Dinh ward People's Committee and FPD in Ho Chi Minh City received a pangolin from a resident. The pangolin was reportedly bought from an unknown hunter (Case ref. 37853/ENV).

On July 13, 2026, Dong Hoa ward police in Ho Chi Minh City responded to an ENV crime report and confiscated six alligator snapping turtles (Macrochelys temminckii). The subject claimed he bought them online for between VND 500,000 and 1,500,000 each. On July 21, 2026, Dong Hoa Ward Police gave him an administrative fine of VND 3,000,000 (Case ref. 37098/ENV).

On July 14, 2026, with support from ENV, Yen So ward People's Committee in Hanoi received a leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) from a local man. The cat was placed at the Hanoi Rescue Center (Case ref. 37869/ENV).

On August 6, 2026, Gia Lai Economic Police, in coordination with the Anti-Smuggling Investigation Department of Vietnam Customs and a task force from Department C05, seized 1,193kg of ivory and 79.3kg of wildlife bones that had been shipped from Africa. Following the investigation, two individuals were identified and arrested (Case ref. 37753/ENV).

On August 15, 2026, Bien Hoa City FPD responded to a report, recorded via the ENV Wildlife Crime Hotline, and confiscated a large quantity of wild birds from a local bird shop. The birds were released back into nature (Case ref. 27150/ENV).

On August 26, 2026, with pre and post-arrest assistance from ENV, Indonesian authorities arrested a Vietnamese transnational wildlife trafficker who was involved in the seizure of 3,053kg of pangolin scales earlier this year in Indonesia (Case ref. 36847/ENV).

On August 28, 2026, with support from ENV, a local resident turned over five Chinese striped-neck turtles (Mauremys sinensis) to authorities. All the turtles were released into nature (Case ref. 38167/ENV).

Vu Lan Festival Campaign: Bringing good karma but not releasing turtles

Vu Lan is one of the biggest annual Buddhist Festivals in Vietnam. It reminds Buddhist followers to honor and show gratitude for parents and ancestors. Unfortunately, during this important annual festival, many Vietnamese believe that releasing animals into nature gives animals a second chance at life, which in turn brings good karma to their family. In the past, Vietnamese people released mostly small fish, but today it’s common for people to purchase turtles for release. This poses a visible threat to severely depleted turtle populations in the wild.

As part of this year's Vu Lan campaign, with support from a high-ranking official at Vietnam’s Buddhist Association, ENV launched a media campaign to discourage Vietnamese people from purchasing and releasing turtles into the wild. Five major newspapers and a national TV station broadcast our messages. In addition, thousands of people were reached through our social media channels. 

Pushing for Hanoi to follow other provinces in ending bear bile farming

Since 2005, ENV, with our partner World Animal Protection and other NGOs, has been working hard to end bear bile farming in Vietnam. After 21 years, the number of captive bears on farms has decreased by 97%, from more than 4,300 to only 129. 23 of 34 provinces have become bear-free. In contrast, Hanoi still has 62 bears, accounting for nearly 50% of captive bears on farms. Since June this year, ENV has run an intensive campaign focused on Hanoi, aimed at pressuring local bear owners and authorities to shut down bear farming in the capital.

As part of this campaign, ENV has been running sustained media campaigns that have resulted in dozens of media articles. In addition, ENV partnered with a major newspaper to host a roundtable meeting, during which local authorities, ENV, and journalists discussed pathways to end bear farming in Hanoi. The Hanoi bear hotspot campaign will continue until no bears remain on farms.

That’s all for now. We are very grateful for your support!

Sincerely, ENV Team