Help 30 Women Fight Wildlife Crime in Vietnam

When we look back at what has been achieved in 2023, we can't help but feel proud to share our accomplishments with you. In 2023, the ENV team was joined by more courageous women, increasing their numbers to 36 wildlife warriors.

Your unwavering support made it all possible, bringing Vietnam one step closer to ending wildlife trafficking and exploitation. There's still a long way to go, but every success is a step in the right direction, and we are grateful to all those involved in ENV’s efforts to protect wildlife and preserve Vietnam’s precious biodiversity.

In 2023, the ENV Wildlife Crime Unit logged over 3,500 wildlife crime cases, largely thanks to reports from members of the public to our Hotline. These resulted in the rescue of more than 2,500 live wild animals from the illegal wildlife trade, through confiscations and voluntary transfers.

Animals rescued include bears, tigers, pangolins, macaques, various reptiles, and a variety of tortoises and turtles.

The following are a few examples of successful cases that have occurred since our last report:

• An Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) was voluntarily transferred to Ninh Binh Bear Sanctuary, making Hai Duong the latest bear farm-free province, together with 45 other provinces across Vietnam (Case ref. 13712/ENV). In addition, two more Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) from a bear farm in Hanoi were voluntarily transferred to the Bear Rescue Center in Bach Ma National Park (Case ref. 2833/ENV).

• 2,600 kg of pangolin scales were seized, and two subjects were arrested during a collaborative operation undertaken with the Nghe An Economic Police (Case ref. 28974/ENV).

• 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 relocated to Hoang Lien National Park (Case ref. 3098/ENV).

• In December 2023, ENV witnessed the incineration of 456.9 kg of ivory, 138.7 kg of rhino horn, 6.2 tonnes of pangolin scales, and 3.1 tonnes of lion bones – all evidence from two cases of port seizures occurring in 2021 and 2022 respectively – carried out by the Da Nang Civil Judgment Enforcement Department (Case refs. 20572, 22583/ENV). 

Legislation and Policy Team

Overall, in 2023, ENV’s Policy and Legislation team assisted in more than 60 criminal cases, providing input and support to law enforcement agencies aimed at bringing criminals to justice. Among the most recent prosecutions, the following cases were particularly notable:

• In October 2023, a six-year prison sentence was given to a man found in possession of a tiger trophy, a tiger head trophy, six tiger skins, a leopard (Panthera pardus) skin, and a suspected wild buffalo head trophy (Case ref. 26137/ENV).

• In November 2023, a 12-year sentence was handed down to a man who smuggled 11.82 kg of rhino horn and 4.712 kg of ivory bracelets from Angola to Vietnam (Case ref. 27000/ENV).

• In November 2023, a woman was sentenced to 12 months of suspended sentence and 24 months’ probation by Buon Don District Court for illegally selling bear claws on social media (Case ref. 24261/ENV).

• In December 2023, Lao Cai City Court sentenced a subject reported to the ENV Wildlife Crime Hotline to a suspended sentence of 12 months and 24 months’ probation for selling a pygmy slow loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus) on the street (Case ref. 27838/ENV).

Communications and Public Awareness Team

In November 2023, ENV released the fourth Public Service Announcement (PSA) of 2023 and ENV’s 56th, titled “Knock Knock.” The PSA aims to raise public awareness about everyday wildlife crimes and the negative consequences associated with these violations. In the PSA, examples of common wildlife crimes are shown through a series of snapshots featuring individuals of different genders, ages, and social statuses. Some of these people seem to be engaged in “normal” daily activities without realizing that they are doing something in violation of the law and might face consequences.

Furthermore, to reach a wider audience and to raise awareness about wildlife protection, we 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.

Finally, in December, in collaboration with our partner Sporting Republic, we hosted Vietnam’s first “Run for Turtles,” the 14th Song Hong Half Marathon. The event aimed at promoting the conservation of turtles and encouraging the public not to illegally buy or sell turtles or keep them as pets and saw 500 runners from 27 countries participating.

Your contribution has been crucial in the many successful endeavors achieved in the past year. We look forward to sharing more news with you as we keep up the fight for wildlife with the same energy and motivation as the day ENV was founded 15 years ago.

Thank you, and until next time!

This October, our brave female warriors at ENV celebrated Vietnamese Women's Day by working with unwavering determination and dedication in the fight against wildlife crime.

We are proud to share their latest achievements with you and hope you can get inspired by their commitment.

At a glance, as of the end of June, 1,740 live wild animals have been seized from the illegal trade or voluntarily transferred by locals, and our all-woman Wildlife Crime Unit has handled over 1,844 wildlife crime cases. Among numerous other species, the first half of 2023 has seen the confiscation of 733 turtles and tortoises, 11 otters, five lorises, two leopard cats, two gibbons, a langur, and 62 macaques.

Your continuous support has made the following important news possible:

• An Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus), the last at a bear farm in Lao Cai province, was voluntarily transferred by the owner. ENV worked for years to persuade the bear's owner to voluntarily give up the bear and give it a second shot at life at a rescue center. The bear was transferred to the Hoang Lien National Park Rescue Center (Case ref. 4308/ENV).

• In September, Ham Thuan Nam District Police arrested a repeat offender who was caught en route to deliver two macaques. This individual had been reported to ENV in 2017 for illegally advertising various live animals and wildlife products online. In January 2022, the subject was arrested for the first time for illegally transporting a gibbon. In April of the same year, he was sentenced to an 18-month suspended sentence and 36 months’ probation. However, in October of that year, he was again arrested and fined VND 15 million for transporting 8 pig-tailed macaques and an Asian palm civet. Despite these previous penalties, the offender was caught again and will now face prosecution (Case ref. 11291/ENV).

• After an informant reported a Facebook page advertising a variety of snakes to our Hotline, the Ham Thuan Nam District Forest Protection Department confiscated two radiated rat snakes (Elaphe radiata) from an online seller. The subject was fined VND 7,250,000, and the snakes were released in Ta Cu Nature Reserve (Case ref. 27815/ENV).

• Following a report to our Wildlife Crime Hotline, Khanh Hoa Fisheries confiscated a marine turtle illegally sold at a restaurant in Cam Ranh city and released it back into the sea (Case ref. 28177/ENV).

• Three macaques were confiscated from a persistent violator in a case that started with a report of illegal online wildlife advertising made to our Hotline in 2018. Despite multiple warnings, this individual continued to advertise wild animals online. This time, the Dong Nai Provincial Forest Protection Department checked the subject’s home and was able to locate three macaques, which were confiscated (Case ref. 13578/ENV).

• An informant called the ENV Wildlife Crime Hotline to report a woman selling a loris on a street in Lao Cai province. We informed the Forest Protection Department, who confiscated it (Case ref. 27838/ENV).

Legislation and Policy Team

ENV takes a strategic and integrated approach to fighting illegal wildlife trafficking in Vietnam. This includes collaborating with policy-makers to strengthen legislation, close loopholes in the law, and encourage the effective application of laws and policies that protect wildlife.

In line with this, our Legislation & Policy Team has released two key annual reports targeting law enforcement agencies and the judicial system in Vietnam. In August, ENV released the CWT (combatting wildlife trafficking) Responsiveness and Performance Report 2022, an independent evaluation of the performance of law enforcement agencies in dealing with publicly reported wildlife crime in Vietnam, and in September, we released the Prosecution Review: Wildlife Trafficking Cases in Vietnam 2022, a review of the performance of Vietnam’s criminal justice system in dealing with wildlife trafficking cases in 2022.

The results from both reports show that Vietnam continues to demonstrate a positive and concerted effort to address wildlife crime.

In addition, below is a list of key prosecutions for which ENV provided input and support to law enforcement agencies and the justice system: 

• In December 2022, Cao Bang Environment Police seized 22 dead Sunda pangolins (Manis javanica) from the trunk of a car. Three subjects were arrested. In September 2023, Cao Bang Provincial Court sentenced two men to 6 years in prison each, while the third subject received a 5.5-year prison sentence (Case ref. 25814/ENV).

• In July 2023, Quynh Luu District Police in Nghe An province arrested two subjects while transporting a live tiger. One of the two subjects had already been arrested for transporting a dead tiger in Dien Bien in 2022. For that crime, he had received a fine of VND 500 million. In September 2023, both subjects were sentenced to 12 months in prison by Quynh Luu District Court (Case ref. 27807/ENV).

• In December 2022, Hanoi City Environment Police cooperated with the Hanoi City Forest Protection Department and seized 21 ivory products weighing 15.4kg from a shop in Hoang Mai district. The shop owner was arrested. In September 2023, he was sentenced to 30 months in prison by Hoang Mai District Court (Case ref. 25881/ENV).

• In February 2023, Ba Vi District Police arrested a man for transporting two live Bengal slow lorises (Nycticebus bengalensis). A seller was arrested as well. In August 2023, Ba Vi District Court sentenced the seller to 13 months in prison, while the transporter was sentenced to 12 months (Case ref. 26605/ENV).

• In March 2023, Tuy Duc District Police arrested a man for illegally transporting a Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica). Following the investigation, the police also arrested three men who had been responsible for hunting the pangolin in Bu Gia Map National Park. In September 2023, the four subjects were sentenced by Bu Gia Map District Court to prison terms of 2 years and 6 months each (Case ref. 26383/ENV). 

Communications and Public Awareness Team

ENV's dedicated and hardworking communications team has been relentlessly striving to raise public awareness about the importance of wildlife protection.

In June 2023, ENV released its 55^th Public Service Announcement (PSA) “Marine turtles belong to the sea,” bringing attention to the illegal hunting, trade, and advertising that is threatening the survival of marine turtles. The PSA was broadcast on 50 TV Stations.

In August, we launched an awareness campaign targeting traditional medicine shops in 8 major cities across Vietnam. A group of highly trained volunteers visited numerous shops, encouraging the owners to sign a pledge and join the “Wildlife-Friendly Traditional Medicine Establishments” network. The 150 shops who signed the pledge will display their “Wildlife-Friendly Establishment” status at their premises to inform customers and visitors that they do not support the sale of wildlife-derived medicines, while at the same time helping to raise awareness on the issue.

ENV’s all-women team is committed to keeping our wildlife safe and thriving, and we're grateful for your support in this important mission.

Thank you, and until next time!