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Waiting for freedom: Spotted deer seized from illegal traders are being taken care of in a shelter before being released back into the wild. — VNS Photo Ngo Lich

Wildlife ends up on a plate in city restaurants

DAC LAC — Forest rangers in the province of Dac Lac have seized more than 3 tonnes of meat and nearly a thousand wild animals so far this year, more than the entire amount caught in the year 2000, according to officials.

"We cannot stop wildlife smuggling," said Y Rit, deputy chief of Dac Lac Forest Rangers.

He said forest rangers need help from the police, market management and government decrees to fight wildlife smugglers.

More than 300kg of live wild animals and wild animal meat have been seized by the rangers in five illegal trading points, in a move to crack down on wildlife smuggling.

In just two weeks, the mobile rangers have seized numerous shipments headed for markets in other provinces and across the border.

They have discovered a cement tank carefully hidden in the garden of Duong Huu Tuan in Ea Kar District and caught more than 200kg of weasels, monitor lizards and various kinds of turtles.

An earlier investigation also found nearly 35kg of wildlife, including six bear’s feet.

Experts estimate this is only about 10 per cent of wildlife from the area illegally headed for dinner tables.

Tonnes of wildlife meat can be found in the exotic restaurants of Buon Ma Thuot, and other cities in northern and southern Viet Nam, and as far north as China.

Conservationists said the wildlife are mostly captured in the nature reserves of the Central Highlands, such as Ea So and Nam Ka, Cu Yang Sin and Ta Dung, and the famous national park of Yok Don.

One official, who declined to be quoted, said some of the wildlife are imported from Cambodia.

Last year, the Dac Lac People’s Committee tightened up its control of the hunting, trading and transporting of the province’s wildlife when it issued Decree 10.

In the first six months after the decree came into effect, the illegal trafficking of wildlife dropped sharply.

But the wildlife trade soon resumed to its previous levels.

Conservationists said the law has been too lenient with wildlife smugglers.

Smugglers of larger wild animals, such as tigers, elephants and bears can be taken to court, but traders of smaller animals such as reptiles are usually arrested, fined up to VND5 million, and then released. — VNS

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