As wildlife-related crimes are able to generate profits almost equal to those from the trafficking of drugs, firearms, and human beings, they are quickly becoming increasingly more of a threat to Vietnam, according to an official from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Vietnam.
Hanoi (VNA) – As wildlife-related crimes are able to generate profits almost equalto those from the trafficking of drugs, firearms, and human beings, they arequickly becoming increasingly more of a threat to Vietnam, according to anofficial from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Vietnam.
Vietnam has beenviewed as an important link in the chain of transnational illegal wildlifetrade, said WCS Country Programme Director Hoang Bich Thuy.
According to a reporton wildlife violations and law enforcement in Vietnam from 2013-2017 conductedby the WCS and the Department of Criminal Justice Statistics and InformationTechnology at the Supreme People’s Procuracy, Vietnam recorded more than 1,500wildlife crimes, seizing over 41,300kg of wildlife specimens and products, fromJanuary 2013 to December 2017.
Some 1,460 peoplehave reportedly violated regulations on wildlife protection, 432 of who werebrought to trial with criminal charges. The country has collected 16 billionVND (692,340 USD) in fines from these violations, according to the report.
Most recently,nearly 10 tonnes of smuggled ivoryand pangolin scales originating from Nigeria were discovered in a plastic wastecontainer at Tien Sa Port in the central city of Da Nang in October. It was oneof the country’s largest wildlife trafficking cases for some time.
Earlier this month, about 800kg of pangolin scales werefounded in three containers imported from Africa at Hai Phong Port in thenorthern city of Hai Phong. The case is under further investigation.
Although the Governmenthas taken various measures to combat wildlife trafficking, the crime remainswidespread in Vietnam as many people still believe consuming wildlife products,such as rhino horns or pangolin scales, is good for their health.
An official fromthe Department of Forest Protection said that we must develop a comprehensiveaction plan to strengthen law enforcement against illegal wildlife tradingbased on organised statistics and analysis on the crime.
It is also vitalto have a governmental body in charge of collecting data on wildlifetrafficking to provide support for related authorities, he added.
The WCS has worked in Vietnam since 2006 with a focus oncombating illegal wildlife trafficking. The organisation works to degrade,disrupt, and dismantle wildlife trafficking networks and reduce poachingpressure on wildlife populations. –VNA
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Illustrative photo (Source: ENV) 
