A langur is rescued from a construction site in central Quang Binh province by the local police on May 2. (Photo: Education for Nature Vietnam)Hanoi (VNA) – Timely reports made by people havehelped rescue many wildlife animals, said Director of Education for NatureVietnam Bui Thi Ha on May 3.
She hoped that the centre’s hotline number 1800-1522 willcontinue receiving reports on crimes related to wildlife trafficking, helpingmore wildlife animals to return to the nature, she added.
Many wildlife animals have been saved from being illegallykept or illegally traded across the country in recent times, according to theEducation for Nature Vietnam.
On May 2, thanks to a report via the hotline 1800-1522, thepolice of the central province of Quang Binh saved a langur from being raisedin a cage at a local construction site. The langur then was sent to the AnimalRescue, Conservation and Development Centre at the Phong Nha – Ke Bang NationalPark for proper care.
The same day, Ho Chi Minh City’s forest ranger sub-departmentdiscovered a 2-kg monkey captive at a local restaurant. The monkey was thensaved and transferred to the Cu Chi Wildlife Rescue Centre.
Similarly, the anti-environmental crime police in Hanoiseized a wine jar stuffed with a pangolin and king cobra which had been put onsale on the Internet by a trader from Dong Anh district.
In April, a foreign volunteer called the Education forNature Vietnam to report on an endangered turtle illegal kept at a restaurantin the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau. Later that month, the 4-kg oliveridley sea turtle, a species that is going extinct in Vietnam, was rescued bythe local authorities and released to the sea.
Vietnam has been getting tough on wildlife protection byintroducing amendments to the Penal Code that extend wildlife protection fromrare, precious and endangered animals to all types of wildlife
Under the amended Penal Code 2015, which came into forceon January 1, hunting, catching, killing, rearing, caging, transporting andtrading wild animals is criminalised. This extends to possession of deadanimals, body parts and products of rare, precious and endangered wildanimals. The maximum jail term for crimes related to wildlife management hasincreased to 15 years.
Violations in protecting rare, precious and endangeredwildlife are also viewed as “extremely serious offence” instead of “seriousoffence” as stated in the previous code.-VNA
