Indonesian Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni has affirmed the country's strengthened efforts to foster cooperation with stakeholders, including the law enforcement apparatus, to prevent the smuggling of protected animals.
The General Department of Vietnam Customs said on June 12 that it will continue with the Operation Mekong Dragon phase 6 (OMD 6), a programme cracking down on drugs and wildlife trafficking in the Asia-Pacific.
Representatives from the Australian Embassy in Vietnam recently visited the Hoang Lien centre for wildlife rescue, conservation and development in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai to work on the care for suspectedly smuggled wallabies.
A representative of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Vietnam has proposed that the Southeast Asian nation needs to enhance cooperation in investigating and tracing wildlife trafficking cases, as well as arresting and prosecuting leaders of these crime rings.
Operation Mekong Dragon V (OMD V), a programme cracking down on drugs and wildlife trafficking in the Asia-Pacific region, was deployed from April 15 to November 16, 2023. Some 25 customs and law enforcement agencies and international organisations participated in the scheme, resulting in the seizure of 1,715 drugs and wildlife trafficking cases.
Among the 156 wildlife crime cases uncovered in 2022, the rate of arrested criminals reached an average of 92.2%, Education for Nature - Vietnam (ENV) has said.
Aware of wildlife trafficking and its threat to biodiversity preservation, Vietnam has taken drastic action to fight the use of wildlife and their products, such as fine-tuning laws, raising public awareness, strengthening legal enforcement, and strict punishment for violations.
People reporting wildlife infractions and the responsiveness of the authorities have proven useful for the fight against wild game trafficking in the recent past.
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has released a film highlighting health risks from dining out at restaurants that sell wildlife meat, and calling on the community not to support such restaurants, thus reducing the risk of extinction among rare animals and protecting the ecosystem.
The People’s Court of Hanoi on July 12 sentenced three women and one man to a total 18 years in prison for illegally transporting and trading 984kg of pangolin scales, one of the largest cases of wildlife trafficking detected so far in Vietnam.
Since the Government’s decision on action plan for the protection of the primate species in Vietnam was issued in 2017, a total of 684 endangered douc langurs, including 86 grey-shanked douc langurs (Pygathrix cinerea), one of the world’s 25 Critically Endangered primates, have been captured by rangers and authorities in 80 illegal hunting and wildlife trafficking cases.
The General Department of Vietnam Customs will participate in the Operation Mekong Dragon IV, a joint regional operation against drug and wildlife trafficking, from April 15 to September 15 this year, the department has announced.
Vietnam, though rich in biodiversity with a large number of precious, rare and endemic species, has seen a decline in the number of many rare species, requiring the country to work hard to preserve and protect them against risk of extinction.
A 120-kg sea turtle stuck in a fishing net was released to the sea by border guards at Roon border post in Quang Trach district of the central province of Quang Binh and local fishermen on October 27 morning.
A webinar was held in the central city of Da Nang on September 30 to seek ways to put an end to wildlife trafficking and consumption, gathering more than 100 delegates, including local officials, and domestic and foreign experts.
The illicit wildlife trade has not declined in Vietnam despite efforts of the government and counterparts in combating this endemic problem, according to a report by the People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature), a non-profit organisation.
Wildlife trafficking in Vietnam remains complicated both before and during COVID-19, a report released on June 18 by the People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature) non-profit organisation showed.
