Vietnam’s shame as 2011 comes to a close

tigers are targetted by Vietnamese wildlife traders. The last week has shown how Vietnam has a major task in tackling the trade in endangered species. It also shows how big an impact a few people can have on species that under threat. Four Vietnamese in two unrelated incidents have been arrested and large hauls of endangered species made.

The first two people were arrested on 22nd December 2011 in south Africa at Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport. The couple, a 40 year old man and a 30 year old woman, had tried to smuggle rhino horn and ivory out of the country.

The package seized from the smugglers included 2 rhino horns, 3 elephant tusks and a range of ivory trinkets and blocks that had already been fashioned into adornments.

Following the Javan Rhino, many other species may face extinction in the next decade, including large mammals such as the tiger and the elephant.

OT Tambo International Airport is increasingly being used by Vietnamese smugglers to get illegal products out of the country. This new seizure comes just weeks after two Vietnamese were sentenced to 12 years and 8 years in jail for trying to smuggle out 20 rhino horns through the airport.

Back in Vietnam a raid by local police resulted in the arrest of two endangered species traders. A search on Monday 26th December of the homes of Bang Tien Quan, 37, and Ha Van Nga, 39, in Ho Chi Minh City revealed a large stock of endangered species body parts.

Included in the items confiscated were:

6 lion skeletons,
two tigers skeletons soaked in wine,
a tigers head,
a bear skeleton,
6 pairs of bull horns,
a rhino horn,
4 pairs of elephant tusks,
3 elephant tails,
and 5 kilogrammes of monkey bones.

The homes were searched after police intervened in a sale of a tiger skeleton between the two men. The large seizure shows how much impact a few unintelligent people can have on rare animals.

Vietnam is the new hub of poaching of wildlife and is a major transit route between poachers and consumers of endangered species. There is a lot of work to do in Vietnam to educate people that many of the medicines and good luck trinkets made from animals do not work.

The Vietnam government and other organisations are beginning to try and educate the young that conserving species is much more important that traditional medicines or having endangered species parts on display as a status symbol.

Vietnamese wildlife organisation Wildlife at Risk (WAR) are working with the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training and Forest Protection Department to give a travelling road-show to 40 secondary schools in the city. The wildlife exhibition provides information and teaching resources for 12 -15 year olds about wildlife conservation.

The organisers hope that the new promotion reach 20,000 and teachers by the end of 2012. By educating young people about the benefits of conserving wildlife WAR hopes that a repeat of the extinction of the Javan rhino in Vietnam is not repeated with other species.

Mr. Khoi Nguyen Vu, WAR’s director stated that, “Following the Javan Rhino, many other species may face extinction in the next decade, including large mammals such as the tiger and the elephant. We are doing our best to ensure that young students, our future generation, understand the consequences of illegal wildlife consumption and trade. We hope that they will be willing to commit towards wildlife protection before it is too late. Wildlife is calling for our help, as the name of the exhibition highlights – SOS.”